


Are You Sure?

by shua_hui



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Lots of blushing, Lots of kissing, M/M, Thanks, click on my profile, hello, lots of feelings, lots of mingyu and his canines, read something else, seriously there's too much im sorry, sorry jeonghan, they're all here but some of them only say like one line, this is meanie but my wonhui trash soul comes out sometimes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-05-17 22:18:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 37,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5887435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shua_hui/pseuds/shua_hui
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wonwoo doesn't think he's attracted to Mingyu.</p><p>(He's wrong.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Jeon Wonwoo scowls as he studies his lesson schedule for the day. He has biology twice today, an hour first thing in the morning, and then again at the end of the day, oh how fun. As he is about to shove the piece of paper back into his pocket, an arm drapes over his shoulder.

"Hey, what do you have?" Seungcheol asks, as two others pop up behind him. He peers at the sheet. "Oh, biology. Sucks for you, I have chemistry."

Wonwoo pulls a face, "that's just as bad."

"Do you know what my favourite thing about starting a new school year is?" Seungkwan announces sarcastically, propping an elbow on Jisoo's shoulder and sighing dramatically, his hand resting on his forehead.

"What?" Jisoo says, pushing Seungkwan's arm off.

"The seating arrangements." Everyone groans. "So perfectly constructed to breed doom and misery into what is supposed to be our refreshing youth."

Seungcheol laughs, "refreshing youth, my ass. Being eighteen is boring."

The bell rings, and they all groan before heading their separate ways.

 _Wonder what kind of dickhead I'm gonna have to sit next to this year..._ Wonwoo shakes his head, feeling the tips of his black hair tickle his skin. Let's not think about impending doom, Jeon Wonwoo. Let's think about it when it actually arrives.

 

But doom doesn't arrive. Or at least, doom is late. The classroom is almost full, but the seat next to Wonwoo remains empty. He feels tempted to ask his teacher who exactly is assigned next to him, but something inside of him doesn't want to know. Not just yet.

As he waits, he finds himself recalling previous years' horrors.

There was this girl, in his history class. And thanks to the awful seating arrangement, he had ended up being pestered and poked at every single lesson. Supposedly, she liked him. But annoying the hell out of your crush makes no sense, does it? He winces as he remembers her high pitched voice and endless giggles. He still walks past her in the corridors occasionally. He'd never known how awesome his 'turn back and run away' reflexes were until now.

Wonwoo prays that his seatmate is not a girl.

Then again, there was that guy in his maths class. He was always scratching at his greasy hair, and he never, ever shut up. He rambled nonsense at the speed of light, and Wonwoo almost transferred classes. Thankfully, he's never seen that guy again.

When a figure finally approaches the desk next to his, Wonwoo is surprised to see that: one, it's not a girl; two, he doesn't have greasy hair (in fact, he has really awesome soft brown hair); and three, he is so damn tall.

Wait, four: he's also really good looking.

"Hi," the guy says, as he flops down next to Wonwoo, offering a friendly grin which reveals his sharp canines. "I'm Kim Mingyu."

Wonwoo almost smiles, and he's not sure why, but he figures that it must be because of the relief washing over him. "Hey, I'm Jeon Wonwoo." _Thank god, it's someone normal. At least, I think he is..._

Mingyu looks like he's about to say something, but the teacher starts the lesson and so he clamps his mouth shut.

They're doing some textbook work, when Wonwoo suddenly feels Mingyu's left elbow hitting against his own as he writes across his page; Mingyu doesn't seem to notice. This carries on, their elbows touching everytime Mingyu's writing started at a new line. Wonwoo didn't mind the contact, but he was finding it increasingly difficult to write. _Why does this guy have to be left handed?_ He moves his right arm away, closer to his side, but Mingyu's elbow still manages to jog his writing.

"Hey," he snaps, and Mingyu jumps just slightly, staring with wide eyes, causing the corners of Wonwoo's lips to curve up. He hurriedly pulls on a scowl. "Your elbow keeps jogging my writing."

Mingyu blinks twice, confused, "oh. Sorry," he grins apologetically, and this time it's Wonwoo who stares. Something about the kid's smile makes him strangely happy, but he shakes off the funny feeling.

The younger manages to keep his elbow away from Wonwoo, but when he accidentally makes the the slightest contact, Wonwoo nudges him back, hard. Mingyu's mouth drops at the black line scrawled across his page from the sudden movement. "Hey!"

He retaliates, and smirks in satisfaction when he hears the harsh sound of a pen being scratched down a page.

Wonwoo turns to glare at him, and the two are suddenly shoving against eachother, shoulder to shoulder. "Kim Mingyu! Stop being so annoying, I'm trying to work," he growls.

"Aww, too worried about your grades to fight me, huh." Mingyu teases, flashing yet another grin. Wonwoo turns away, still pushing.

"Stop!"

"Okay."

Mingyu stops completely, causing Wonwoo to suddenly fall towards him. His whole body topples over, and the next thing he knows, he's looking up at a shocked Kim Mingyu. And it's at this moment, he realises that his entire upper body is laying on Mingyu's lap. _Fuck._

Their teacher, Miss Kim, clears her throat. "Guys, don't get me wrong, I'm not homophobic, but please save that for outside the classroom." The entire class bursts into laughter.  
Wonwoo sits up, his entire face flushing red. "W-We're not-"

"It's okay, I don't mind. In fact you guys really suit eachother," she says before he can object.

"We're not gay!"

 

"Wow, you guys are reading a gossip magazine?" Hansol sneers, judging Seungkwan and Seungcheol, who are both reading intensely.

Seungcheol swats Hansol on the arm, "shh." His eyes don't leave the page.

Jisoo stops whispering to Jeonghan and looks up, "what's so interesting anyway?"

"It says," Hansol moves his head in all angles to try and read properly, "how to... tell if someone likes you. Ew." This catches everyone's attention; Jihoon shuffles over to Seungkwan's side.

Wonwoo gives them the side-eye, and then turns back to his phone, leaning back on the trunk of a tree. It's lunchtime, and they're sitting under the trees, chilling and eating. Wonwoo, however, is more preoccupied with replaying the extremely awkward incident that happened in biology.

 _Damn it, Wonwoo, chill. It's not like you laid down on him on purpose!_ He bites down on his lip as he thinks, clearly frustrated. _Anyway, that damn Mingyu is the one who made it happen! He suddenly stopped pushing! Ugh, how am I going to look him in the eye later?_

"...will try and make natural skinship happen." Wonwoo instantly tunes back into the conversation happening next to him. _Wait, what?_

"Ooooh! So if they touch you, then they like you?" Seungkwan gasps in amazement.

Wonwoo gulps. He flashes back to the subtle elbow nudging, the full blown shoving war, and, obviously, the, uh, falling incident and cringes. _He doesn't like me right?_ He shakes his head vigorously. _Jeon Wonwoo! What are you thinking? That skinship or whatever wasn't even intentional, jeez..._

"Hey, what are you thinking about?"

He snaps his head up to see the group all staring at him, amused. "Um, uh, hey, uh... do you guys know who Kim Mingyu is?" He internally slaps himself. Why did he say that?

"Kim Mingyu? Oh, yeah. I think he was in my music class last year. He's really popular with the girls," Jeonghan casually answers. "Why?"

"Huh? Oh, um, well he's my new biology partner and I just thought it was weird that I don't have to sit with a creep this year so I just wanted to double check that he's not going to murder me in my sleep." His speech comes out quickly, too quickly, and he doesn't know why.

"Isn't that him there?" Jihoon points at a group of guys playing with a basketball, and Wonwoo recognises the tall figure and brown hair.

He watches as Mingyu wraps his arms around a blonde guy, who cracks up and starts jumping up and down. His other friends laugh along, before one of them tries to push Mingyu off the blonde.

Wonwoo glances away for a second, before looking back and seeing that Mingyu is still hugging his friend, and he's not sure what it means. Does Kim Mingyu like guys?

"Nah, I think it's just bromance," Seungcheol answers, and Wonwoo jumps in surprise, before realising he must have said his question out loud.

"Oh, right."

 

When Wonwoo arrives at biology class, he sees that Mingyu is already sitting there, playing with a pencil out of boredom. He tries his best to walk over naturally, "hey dude." He mutters, trying to hide the awkwardness.

"Oh, hey." Mingyu flashes his canines, and Wonwoo inwardly sighs in relief. Everything is okay.

Miss Kim explains to them the experiment they need to carry out, and everyone hurriedly gets started.

Wonwoo peers through the microscope and blinks. He's not sure what he's supposed to be looking at. In fact, he never really knows what's happening in biology. "Um, so what am I supposed to be seeing?" He lifts his head, sending a confused expression towards Mingyu.

A look of amusement spreads across Mingyu's face. And suddenly, he reaches his hand out and brushes his fingertips across Wonwoo's fringe. "You can't see through this, can you?"

"Um, actually, I meant that I don't know what-" Wonwoo freezes, suddenly realising what Mingyu is doing.

_If someone likes you, they will try and make natural skinship happen._

He feels the tips of Mingyu's fingers searing through his forehead, and he is completely and utterly taken aback. Because, what the actual fuck, Kim Mingyu? It is so damn obvious that he can see, because his hair doesn't even reach below his eyebrows!

Wonwoo pulls his head away, "um, I just meant-"

"I know what you meant." This time, Mingyu makes him look through the microscope again, and describes what he's supposed to be seeing.

"Oh, right, I see what you're talking about." Wonwoo mumbles, and all of a sudden, he realises how close Mingyu is. He's so close that his steady breathing can be heard, and Wonwoo feels shivers run all over his skin. He pulls back.

"Thanks."

 

It's eleven pm at night, and Wonwoo lies on his bed, wide awake and staring at the ceiling.

He had wished for a seatmate who didn't giggle, or ramble, or have greasy hair, and he got one. But somehow, he thinks Kim Mingyu might be just as bad. Or even, worse. Because after all, what kind of guy is touchy and smiley and, well, so good looking? And those aren't bad qualities, not at all, really. But for some reason, it frustrates him.

_What the hell, Kim Mingyu._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk man  
> im sorry this is so cringey bye (the first few chapters are really bad im so sorry)


	2. Chapter 2

It's 2pm, and Wonwoo is relieved to have made it through most of the day without seeing Mingyu (or that creepy girl from last year's history class). To be honest, he's not really sure why he's avoiding Mingyu, but he is. He just is.

Seungcheol and Joshua wave as he makes his way to their usual spot, and he smiles back at them.

"Hey, gu-"

"TELL HANSOL TO STOP TALKING IN ENGLISH," Seungkwan shouts in English, and Jihoon is cracking up behind him.

Wonwoo gives him a look, "you're speaking in English."

"Yes but it's annoying when Hansol does it," he switches back to Korean. The others are shaking their heads and laughing, when a tall figure approaches.

"Hi, Wonwoo."

Wonwoo looks up and blanches. There, in front of him, stands Kim Mingyu. Kim Mingyu, who has soft brown hair, twinkling eyes, and the brightest smile on earth. "What's up?

"Did we have any biology homework from yesterday? I forgot, but we have a lesson this afternoon, so..." The others are all staring at Mingyu and the group of guys standing a little further back from him.

"No, we didn't." _This guy is either super dumb, bored, or..._

"Hi, I'm Boo Seungkwan." Wonwoo watches in horror as his friends exchange greetings with Mingyu. _What the hell are they doing?!_ Five more guys make their way over and introduce themselves as Soonyoung, Jun, Minghao, Seokmin, and Chan. Wonwoo recognises Soonyoung as the blonde Mingyu was hugging yesterday.

And before Wonwoo knows it, his group of seven becomes thirteen. Mingyu plops down next to him, and they're shoulder to shoulder. (Well, almost. Mingyu is a little taller.)

"Wonwoo's told us so much about you!" Wonwoo's cheeks burn, and his eyes narrow in confusion, but he doesn't have time to throw a punch on Seungcheol's face, because Mingyu's staring at him with wide eyes.

"What are you talking about? No I didn't!"

"Yeah you did." Wonwoo almost kicks Jisoo in the mouth.

He rolls his eyes instead. "I asked you guys if you knew who he was. I didn't even tell you anything about him, I barely know anything about him myself!"

"Actually, you said that he's your biology partner and that you're worried he's going to stab you in your sleep." Wonwoo is ready to strangle Jeonghan.

Mingyu's eyes sparkle and crease together, his canines showing, throwing oil on Wonwoo's already burning heart. He stops laughing, and a smirk forms on his lips as he turns to Wonwoo. "Hey, don't worry. If I ever get the privilige of seeing you sleep, I'd be way too preoccupied doing other things to bother murdering you."

That's it. Wonwoo's face is completely red, and he's almost choking, but the others just burst into raucous laughter, including Mingyu.

_I can't believe this guy. He just implied that he would... do stuff, and none of them find it creepy?! It's just a joke, Wonwoo. Calm down._

"I gotta go," he blurts out, getting up. "I-I had something to do, I forgot." His deep voice turns into a mutter and he walks off, ruffling his hair. He feels someone throw a milk carton at his back, but he ignores it.

"Throw that in the bin for me!" Seungcheol shouts after him. He doesn't.

 

 

Mingyu stares at the shrinking figure and twists his mouth into a pout. Did he go too far? Is Wonwoo angry?

"Wonwoo's so embarrassed," Jisoo whispers, and everyone exchanges awkward looks.

Soonyoung is the first to laugh, "only cause he could tell Mingyu meant it." All eyes turn towards Mingyu, blinking. He throws on a shy grin and looks down at his legs, before glancing up again to see that they are still waiting for an answer.

"Well, Wonwoo's attractive, isn't he?" Mingyu says, as if it's the most obvious thing on earth.

Hansol is the first to speak, "oh, so you _are_ gay. I mean, wait, you are, right? I didn't mean to assume-"

"He's not gay." Seokmin says seriously.

There's a sudden silence.

"He's really, really gay," Seokmin bursts into a screeching laughter, and Mingyu slaps him playfully.

Chan scratches his head, looking puzzled, "you guys didn't know that?"

"Um, no."

Mingyu suddenly smiles to himself, "so... Wonwoo doesn't know either?" The others shake their heads vigorously, and he lets out a mischevious laugh. "Oh, right, okay then."

 

 

 _Ugh, where do I go now? I can't go back like an idiot, why did I even- It's because of Kim Mingyu, that asshole making stupid jokes!_ Thoughts crash through Wonwoo's mind as he hurries down a corridor.

Mmpf! "Oww..." It takes Wonwoo a moment to realise that he's run into someone and knocked them onto the ground.

"S-Sorry, are you okay?" He crouches down, a worried look on his face. The girl looks up to face him, and he's taken aback by her light brown eyes, pale skin, and long jet black hair. Wonwoo gulps.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answers, getting up. Wonwoo is in a daze, so the mystery girl hurries off before he can say anything else.

Instead, he's left with the faint scent of her strawberry shampoo, and a tingle running down his arm as she brushes past him. 

_Oh, damn. Who was that?_

 

 

Wonwoo can barely look Mingyu in the eye when he sits down next to him in biology.

"Hi, Wonwoo hyung." He smiles at the older, as if nothing is wrong. Well, maybe nothing is wrong for Mingyu, but the awkwardness gushing out from Wonwoo is completely obvious.

"H-Hyung?" Wonwoo stares at him, his face blank.

Mingyu puts on a charming smile, "yeah, I heard that you're older than me."

"Oh," is all Wonwoo can come up with, and he mentally tells himself to stop being so awkward. 

The windows are open, and Wonwoo feels the heat of the sun radiating on the top of his neck, making him even more uncomfortable. He hastily slips off his blazer jacket and loosens his tie.

Mingyu glances over, his eyes immediately finding the exposed collarbones. He immediately peeks at Wonwoo to see if he has caught him staring, but he hasn't. Mingyu's lips are slightly apart, his eyes still lingering around Wonwoo's neck.

Squinting, Wonwoo decides he can't take the summer sun any longer, and shuffles away from the window, unconscious of the fact that he's now much closer to his biology partner. Mingyu sucks in a soft breath of air, and then gradually sighs silently. He becomes aware that he's still staring at Wonwoo, but he doesn't care anymore. It's nice. It really is, to admire Wonwoo's dark hair, charismatic eyes, and cute lips.

Suddenly, Wonwoo looks over, and Mingyu abruptly turns away, startled. Saying nothing, he lets out a breath of air, hoping that Wonwoo wouldn't question him. He doesn't.

_And to think I should be good at being discreet after so many years..._

Mingyu presses his lips together and thinks back to the time he first saw Jeon Wonwoo.

 

_Sixteen year old Mingyu runs down the corridor, laughing and cheering with Soonyoung as they run away from Seokmin._

_"Yah! Stop right there!" Seokmin shouts, the tips of his fingers grazing Soonyoung's back._

_Soonyoung is screaming, "YAH, KIM MINGYU, RUN FASTER!"_

_"I'm trying!" He shouts back, squeezing his eyes shut, and laughing but panicking at the same time. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to prank Seokmin after all. They had written a love note for his crush and signed it with his name before slipping in the girl's locker. Seokmin didn't even know until she had found it, and it was a hilarious explosion of awkwardness and confusion at the same time._

_"You're so dead!" Seokmin's voice feels even closer, and Mingyu suddenly feels Soonyoung jumping on his shoulders in an attempt to get away from Seokmin. But it fails, and the pair of them tumble to the ground._

_The first thing Mingyu sees when he opens his eyes, is the bottom of a door. Almost immediately, it slides open, and a pair of white and blue trainers meet his eyes. They're so close that Mingyu can smell the mud and grass from the rubber soles. Instinctively, he looks up to see who it is. The first thing Mingyu notices are the stranger's sharp and charming eyes. His eyes that seem to lazily gaze over Mingyu's embarrassing state. Pink washes over Mingyu's cheeks._

_Mingyu continues to scan over the beautiful stranger, his eyes appreciating the messy black hair and full lips._

_In a flash, the guy has stepped over Mingyu's body and is walking away. Mingyu cranes his head round, keeping his eyes on the figure, and scrambles up in a hurry. He almost calls out to him. Instead, he dusts himself off; he must have looked like such an idiot lying on the floor like that._

_"Hey, guys... who's that?"_

_Soonyoung shrugs, "um, who?" The dazed boy points at the departing figure, and Soonyoung 'ah's in realisation. "I think his name's Jeon Wonwoo. Why?"_

_"No reason." Jeon... Wonwoo. Mingyu's lips curl inwards, and he bites his lip._

 

 

Mingyu quietly laughs to himself as he reminisces. Carefully, his eyes shift to the left, and he sees Wonwoo copying from the textbook.  _Who would've known I'd end up sitting right next to you?_

The lesson ends quickly, and Mingyu is barely done packing up when Wonwoo swiftly throws on his bag and mumbles a 'bye' to him.

His mouth open, Mingyu hurriedly shoves in his books, not caring if the pages would crease or fold over. "Wonwoo hyung!" He calls after him, who has already made it outside of the building.

"Wonwoo hyung!" Mingyu finally catches up and pulls on Wonwoo's wrist. The older whips around in surprise.

He's still for a moment, staring at Mingyu. "Oh, you wanted to go home together?"

Mingyu pauses for a moment, hesitating with what he's about to do. "No, I wanted to do this."

In a flash, Wonwoo is pinned against the brick wall surrounding the science block. Mingyu leans in so that their faces are less than an inch apart. 

"Y-Yah, Kim Mingyu, what are you doing?!" Wonwoo's eyes are wide, and he's panicking because all he can see is Mingyu's sparkling eyes and all he can hear is the sound of his heart thumping against his chest, like it's aching to break out.

"Wonwoo hyung," Mingyu murmurs, and he dives in to kiss him.

Wonwoo pushes him off immediately, "um, woah. Sorry, I'm not into guys." He says, shocked, but he tries his best not to show it.

Smirking, Mingyu slams him against the wall again, harder. "Are you sure?"

"Huh?" Wonwoo feels Mingyu's left hand run up his arm and towards his neck. His right hand holds his shoulder firmly against the wall. "I said I don't-"

"Then what's up with the blushing?" Wonwoo is silent. 

Mingyu's left hand reaches higher and he gently brushes a finger along Wonwoo's jawline. 

"I-I'm only red because of the heat," he mumbles lamely, turning his head to the side to avoid Mingyu's stare.

Mingyu grins mischeviously and leans up to his ear to whisper, "we all know this kind of heat isn't because of the sun."

Wonwoo doesn't know why, but he's frozen to his spot, unable to break away. He also doesn't know why Kim freaking Mingyu is making him red and hot and incredibly flustered.

Without warning, Mingyu leans in even closer, chasing Wonwoo's attention. Wonwoo bites his lip so harshly that it hurts.

A few seconds pass, and Mingyu reluctantly pulls back. "Look at yourself. You're a blushing mess." He teases.

Wonwoo's eyes immediately snap open to see Mingyu smirking in satisfaction. He aggressively pushes Mingyu off and storms away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is still v bad i apologise  
> (i like to write at 1am bc that's the only time im not embarrassed lmao tho it does mean my writing is sfsfsdkjdkjdg)
> 
> 150716 edited


	3. Chapter 3

"Mingyu oppa!"

Kim Mingyu carries on walking, just a little faster, hoping that the source of the voice would leave if he pretended it wasn't there. "Mingyu oppa!" The voice only becomes louder, and he winces before turning around.

"Oh, hi, Hyeri." The girl in front of him stops in her tracks and frowns, before pulling her pink lips into a small pout. Her light brown eyes glare playfully at Mingyu.

She strides up to him, "how many times do I have to tell you, my name's Hyerim? Kang Hyerim!"

Mingyu doesn't care, but forces a smile, "sorry." He examines the girl in front of him. Her breathtaking features paired with the strawberry scent lingering around her would tempt any fully functioning young male. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to walk with you." She bounces towards him happily, and links her arms through his, a sweet smile adorning her lips.

Immediately pulling his arm away, Mingyu backs away a few steps, "actually, um, I have somewhere I have to go real quick. See you later!" He runs off before she can reply.

_Seriously, does that girl not know I'm gay? Wait, no, of course she does; the crazy ones know everything._

As Mingyu runs through the double doors to the locker area, he spots a familiar figure who has their head poking into their locker. It's Jeon Wonwoo. Mingyu stops for a moment, unsure whether to avoid him until the next biology lesson, or run up to him and pretend that nothing had happened, and that he wasn't completely out of his mind yesterday.

He decides on the latter, and quickly makes his way towards the older, who slams his locker door shut and whips his head around. Their faces are inches apart, and Wonwoo stumbles backwards, hitting his head against his locker.

"Ow!"

Mingyu's mouth is open, until his lips curve into a playful smile. "You okay?" Wonwoo's face is flushing red, and he nods. "What lesson do you have? I can walk you," he offers, as Wonwoo shuffles away.

"Um, I have maths, but it's okay. Just go where you need to be." He's about to hurry off, but Mingyu stops him again.

"Wait! I have history, that's right next to maths, so I'll just walk with you anyway..."

Wonwoo nods, "...okay." _I can't believe this guy._

 

 

"So I'll see you at lunch then," Mingyu smiles as he leaves Wonwoo at the door of his maths classroom, who merely nods and enters the room.

Almost as soon as his eyes scan over the classroom, Wonwoo spots the girl he knocked over from yesterday. He's surprised, but what comes as an even bigger shock is the fact that she's staring at him. Wonwoo averts his eyes and finds his way to his seat.

As the class waits for their teacher to arrive, Wonwoo pulls out his phone and sends a quick message to his group chat.

**Wonwoo: did you guys know that mingyu was gay??  
sent 10:02 am**

**Jisoo: Yes :)  
sent 10:03 am**

**Wonwoo: HOW? AND ALSO YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!??  
sent 10:03 am**

**Minghao: we thought everyone already knew lol  
sent 10:04 am**

Wait, what the hell was Minghao doing on their group chat?

**Mingyu is typing...**

Wait, what the actual fuck? Who invited him?! Who fucking invited Kim Mi-

**Mingyu: lol hyung I told them yesterday**  
Mingyu: anyway how do people still not know this yet  
sent 10:04 am 

**Wonwoo: it's not exactly obvious...  
sent 10:05 am**

**Mingyu: what, so I have to pin them all individually to the wall and tell them? ;)  
sent 10:05 am**

**Seungkwan: ...Wait, did something happen?  
sent 10:05 am**

**Seungcheol: wat  
sent 10:05 am**

**Soonyoung: OMG SOMETHING HAPPENED o///o  
sent 10:05 am**

**Jun: 。・:*:・ﾟ･✿ヾ╲(´｡✪ω✪｡｀)╱✿･ﾟ・:*:・゜’  
sent 10:05 am**

**Hansol: wtf guys  
sent 10:06 am**

Wonwoo is about to type a reply, when a voice interrupts him.

"Hi, I'm Kang Hyerim." The sweet and familiar strawberry scent hits him before he can look up and see her face. Wonwoo's eyes immediately widen.

He locks his phone screen and pushes his chair back, "uh, hi."

"You remember me from yesterday, right? You accidentally ran into me?" She bursts into a smile and bites her lip. Wonwoo unconsciously stares and watches her twirl a piece of her hair around her index finger.

"uh... yes?" He doesn't even know what just came out of his mouth.

She lets out a small laugh, "well, I was just wondering... are you friends with Kim Mingyu?" The trance shatters.

"Wait, what?" Wonwoo almost chokes at the name.

"Kim Mingyu? I thought I saw you guys together when you came in." Hyerim pouts and her milk chocolate eyes glimmer in confusion.

Wonwoo shuffles in discomfort, " yeah, I know him. Why?"

She immediately beams, "great! Do you know-" Hyerim is cut short when their maths teacher storms into the room, carrying a hot cup of coffee and apologising for being late. She frowns and moves back to her seat.

_Fantastic. A cute girl approaches me, and it's because of Kim Mingyu. I can't deal with this guy, seriously._

Wonwoo sneaks a quick peek at his phone, which has been beeping constantly.

**Seungcheol: oh yeah, wonwoo's very homo  
sent 10:09 am**

**Mingyu: I know :))) hehe  
sent: 10:09 am**

**Wonwoo: I AM NOT.  
sent: 10:10 am**

The rest of the lesson runs by fairly quickly, and Wonwoo escapes the room before Hyerim can attack him for information on Mingyu again.

He has Physics with Seungcheol and Jeonghan after, and apart from the weird faces Seungcheol keeps making at him, it all finishes smoothly too.

"Time for lunch, buddy." Seungcheol wraps his arm around Wonwoo's shoulder, "looking forward to seeing Mingyu?" Jeonghan snickers beside them.

Wonwoo glares at his hyung, "No! Why are we suddenly friends with him anyway? You guys don't even know him!"

"Yeah, but you know him, and him and his group seem pretty cool."

Seungcheol goes on to list all the classes the two groups share together, but Wonwoo has stopped listening. Of all the words that could be used to describe Kim Mingyu (including ridiculous, outrageous, infuriating, annoying), 'pretty' and 'cool' were definitely not part of the list. Especially when put together.

 

 

The group are gathered under a shady area by the trees, and Wonwoo almost chokes on his sandwich when a voice calls out, "Wonwoo oppa!" _Who the hell-_

Wonwoo immediately wipes the crumbs around his mouth when he sees Hyerim approaching. He notices some of the other guys staring at her in appreciation and quickly glances towards Mingyu's direction. He's also staring.

"Oh, Mingyu oppa! You're here too?" She beams sweetly, as if she didn't already know.

Mingyu merely nods at her, and Wonwoo's mouth almost drops in surprise. He's never seen Mingyu speechless, or quiet, or, well, shy. Does he have a crush on her? Wait, is that even possible? Kim Mingyu is supposed to be gay; he's supposed to be like supremely homosexual!

"Can I sit down?" Before Mingyu can object, Seungcheol has scooted over to the side so that there's a spacious patch of grass for the girl.

She smoothes her skirt down as she sits down between Mingyu and Seungcheol. "Mingyu oppa, we have a lesson together this afternoon! Why don't we walk together?"

"Huh? Um, no, I was gonna walk with Soonyoung." Wonwoo feels Jeonghan nudge his leg and he realises that he's been staring intensely at Mingyu and Hyerim. He turns his attention back to his lunch. _So he doesn't like her then?_

"Huh?" Her voice comes out floating in disappointment, "but you already ditched me once this morning!"

Seungcheol pipes in, "hey, I can walk you to your class-"

She ignores him and carries on whining at Mingyu, "speaking of that, where did you even run off to?" Her lips are curled into a pout.

"Oh, that?"

Wonwoo is gulping down cold water from his bottle when he feels a hand tug at his arm. "Hm?"

"I went to find Wonwoo hyung."

Hyerim frowns in confusion, "why?"

"Listen up, Kim Hyeri. I want to make something clear. I'm gay, you know that right?" There is a long silence.

"...I told you, my name's Hyerim! Kang Hyerim!" She clears her throat, looking Mingyu straight in the eye. "And also, do you really think that's going to stop me? Whether you're gay, a girl, a dog, or a ghost, I'll make you fall for me. For sure."

Even though Wonwoo knows that Kim Mingyu is about as straight as cooked ramyun noodles, he can't help but feel nervous over the determination and confidence glimmering in Hyerim's eyes. What's even weirder is that Wonwoo knows there isn't a reason for him to be worried, or nervous, or even... jealous.

_Wait... I couldn't be- No way. No way, right? Am I falling for... Kang Hyerim?_

"Sorry, but I already have someone I like." Mingyu wraps his left arm around Wonwoo's shoulder, who flinches and stares with deer-like eyes at the younger.

Hyerim scoffs before laughing, "you like _him_? Jeon Wonwoo? Isn't he straight?" She flips some of her hair to the back. "In fact, he blushes everytime he sees me. Isn't that right, Wonwoo oppa?" She smiles, showing her dimples as she turns to face him.

"Uh..." Wonwoo is speechless, so Hyerim decides to crawl over and rest her head on his shoulder.

Mingyu glares in jealousy, before jerking Wonwoo away, "get away from my hyung!" He wraps his arms around Wonwoo protectively as Hyerim's head falls to the ground. For a second, everyone is still, and then Mingyu realises how strange it is that Wonwoo hasn't broken free and punched him in the face yet.

He turns to look at him, and realises that his face is warm and flushed bright red.

Mingyu swallows and secretly hopes that the blushing has nothing to do with the girl lying on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> basically wonwoo is being an idiot


	4. Chapter 4

Wonwoo wakes up on the floor with groggy eyes, trying to tell Seungkwan to shut the hell up because it's like 7 in the morning, but he's drowning in comfort and doesn't want to get up or raise his voice just yet.

He had stayed over at Seungcheol's the night before, along with Seungkwan and Hansol, because someone insisted that they all had to come together to plan a birthday party.

"I said, we should have blue and white balloons!" Seungkwan shouts over Hansol, and it sounds like someone just got hit in the face, when another voice speaks up.

"No, we should order black and red balloons," Hansol argues in frustration.

Wonwoo would have strangled them both if he wasn't paralysed by the irresistible spell that was sleep. _What the hell are they doing?_ They were causing the biggest ruckus over _balloon colours_?!

"Guys! Am I turning five? I'm turning nineteen! I don't want balloons at my birthday party, it's just going to be good music, lots of people, and lots of alcohol!"

Okay, that's it. Wonwoo springs out of his drowsy state and throws his pillow with full force at the nearest person.

"OW! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Seungkwan exclaims in English, smacking the pillow on the floor with full force. Seungcheol and Hansol are cracking up beside him.

"Seungcheol hyung's birthday is ages away, so why are you waking me up so early in the morning screaming about balloons?!"

"It's not early considering that we have school today," Hansol shrugs, leaning back against the wall.

It takes Wonwoo a moment to process this, and then he blinks, realising that his friends are all dressed in their school uniforms. "Oh, fu-"

 

 

It's a miracle that Wonwoo manages to put his uniform on properly, let alone make it to maths class in time. But he manages. So as he saunters into the classroom casually, ruffling the strands of his messy hair, the first thing he notices is that Kang Hyerim isn't here.

He stares at the empty seat as he makes his way to his own, wondering if she's sick, or just late. _She seemed okay yesterday though?_

_Ah, whatever._ Wonwoo starts focusing on the lesson, binomial expansion, _ugh, why? I really need to find a maths tutor sometime_ , he thinks, as he stares blankly at the questions his teacher has written up.

Careful not to get caught, Wonwoo takes out his phone and sends out a quick message.

**Wonwoo: hey who's good at maths? I just realised I'm not gonna pass this year if I don't get some help  
sent: 08:12**

**Seungcheol: lol I'm dumber than u tho??  
sent: 08:12**

**Jisoo: Stop texting in class guys  
sent: 08:14**

**Soonyoung: Mingyu is realllyyyy good at maths lmao  
sent: 08:15**

It's at this moment, that Wonwoo regrets sending out the message on group chat. _Ugh, I even have biology with Mingyu today..._

**Jun: ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ♡  
sent: 08:16**

**Soonyoung: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
sent: 08:16**

**Jun: (ᅌᴗᅌ* )*✧⁺˚☆*°  
sent: 08:17**

Okay, at this point, Wonwoo is seriously considering moving half way across the world and finding some friends who won't embarrass the hell out of him on a daily basis. Wait, since when were Jun and Soonyoung his friends? They were Mingyu's friends... _They're starting to grow on me..._

 

 

"Wonwoo hyung, I heard that you need help with maths?" Mingyu announces the moment he gets into biology and settles into his seat next to Wonwoo.

The older looks up awkwardly, his hand rubbing the back of his neck, "huh? Oh, um, yeah... But you don't have to-"

"No, it's okay! I'll do it. When do you want to start? I won't make you pay me, don't worry!" Mingyu offers an over enthusiastic smile, and his eyes sparkle as if they hold the world's biggest secret.

Wonwoo takes a moment to think rationally. _Okay, so this guy is good at maths. And I need to pass the subject. And we're friends- kinda. And he may or may not have-_

"I won't jump you, geez. What's with the scared face?" Mingyu teases, and Wonwoo can feel his face turn a shade pinker than before. He looks up skeptically. "Woah, okay! I may or may not have a history of teasing you, but, well, I promise you'll pass maths."

For some reason, that still doesn't sound reassuring, but passing maths is good. So Wonwoo just nods.

He quickly changes the subject. "So, um, what's up with Jun and Soonyoung? Especially Jun." Mingyu gives him a confused look. "Um, like, all the stupid flamboyant emojis," _which may or may not be suggesting something between us_ , he adds in his mind.

"Oh, that's just something Jun likes doing. And he kinda influences us too, but yeah, it's just a joke."

Wonwoo nods and starts scribbling notes in his book, when Mingyu speaks up again. "So, about tutoring- my house or yours'?"

"Uhhhh," this question catches him off guard, "mine, I guess." It's definitely safer to be in a place where he knows where the nearest escape is, so he can run away immediately if he needs to.

"Okay, I'll text you later about what times we should schedule them?" Mingyu is obviously excited for this new development, and as much as he tries to hide it, Wonwoo can tell.

"Sure."

Time flies, and Wonwoo finds himself sighing in relief that the hour is finally over. Yes, he still feels awkward around Mingyu, which is pretty damn inconvenient because he just agreed to letting Mingyu tutor him. Why the hell did he do that again?

"Ahh, it's lunch, finally. I'm so hungry, let's go," Mingyu throws his bag on and then puts both hands on Wonwoo's shoulders, pushing him out of the classroom. Oh right, biology might be over, but Wonwoo is still going to have to spend the next hour with this guy. Great.

They're out the door and making their way down the corridor when Wonwoo suddenly freezes. _Okay, now would be a great time to turn around._ "What's wrong?" Mingyu asks, staring at the older's blank face.

Wonwoo is ready to grab Mingyu, run 50 miles in the opposite direction and dive off a cliff, because standing in front of him is none other than creepy girl from last year's history class. She's wearing the widest grin, as if someone has stitched her mouth up permanently, and she's walking towards the pair of them.

"H-Hi Wonwoo oppa," she squeals, in her high-pitched voice which has haunted Wonwoo's nightmares for the past year, and probably will continue to in the coming decades. Wonwoo gives her a forced smile and is about to walk round her, when she stops him again.

"I don't see you around so often hehe," she has a hand round her mouth, and her eyes are gleaming. "Do you miss me?"

"Uhhh," Wonwoo's eyes meet Mingyu's and he sends a help signal with his clenched jaw and wide eyes. The appropriate respsonse here would have probably been for Wonwoo to say 'no', leave, and then file a restraining order against her after. But he doesn't; he just stands there looking lost. So Mingyu decides it would be a good idea to step in.

Wonwoo suddenly becomes aware of an arm slipping through his and when he looks down, he realises he's linking arms with Mingyu. Before he can question him, Mingyu has spoken up. "Sorry, Wonwoo hyung doesn't like girls."

"H-Huh?" The girl's eyeballs have popped out of their sockets in disbelief, and so has Wonwoo's, until he realises what Mingyu's trying to do. He immediately pulls on a straight face.

"We're together," Mingyu states simply. Wonwoo resists the urge to glare at him, promising himself that he'll beat Mingyu up later, especially if people hear about this.

"What are you talking about? W-Wonwoo oppa doesn't like guys!" She exclaims, her voice going higher than before.

Mingyu rolls his eyes at the girl, "It's true. I can prove it." Hearing this, Wonwoo gulps and turns to stare at Mingyu, trying to tell him stop right there. But Mingyu doesn't stop. Instead, he drops his arm so that their hands meet, and he gently but confidently interlocks their fingers. Wonwoo can feel his heart go up in flames, the heat consuming him and burning a blush on his face.

Giving the girl one final smug look, Mingyu turns to face Wonwoo, whose eyes are wide open. Using his free hand, he cups Wonwoo's left cheek, brings his face forward, and presses his lips on to Wonwoo's. In that millisecond, Wonwoo feels his head turn warm and fuzzy and he's sure that his body is melting into the ground. Mingyu pulls away quickly, almost too quickly, leaving only the taste of mint on Wonwoo's unsatisfied lips.

"See?" Mingyu turns back to the girl, taunting her with a smirk. Shocked and speechless, she leaves with a whimper. "Got rid of her!" Mingyu whispers in victory, as he turns to a frozen Wonwoo.

As Wonwoo looks up at the younger, he suddenly feels the strangest urge to reconnect their lips and continue from where they left off, but he knows that's not what he really wants, so he holds back and looks away.

Too dazed to think or function properly, Wonwoo simply wanders off in the opposite direction, leaving Mingyu shouting after him.

As Mingyu stares at the disappearing figure, his fingertips trail along his lips, and he smiles to himself.

 

Wonwoo walks home alone after a tiring physics lesson with Jeonghan and Seungcheol grilling him about what happened at lunch. Even as he enters the convenient store to buy some snacks, his mind can't leave the scene from two hours ago.

He never knew how good it could feel to be kissed by a boy, to be kissed by Kim Mingyu. Wonwoo shakes off the thoughts. Reaching for a watermelon bar, he hears coughing and then some quiet snifflng. Instinctively, he looks up.

"Kang Hyerim?" He says, before he can stop himself. The girl looks up and recognises him.

"Oh, hi." Her voice is stuffy, and she walks over, but keeps a distance, careful not to spread any germs. "Yeah, I know, getting a cold before summer has even ended, how pathetic, ugh."

Wonwoo smiles, showing his teeth. "It's not pathetic. Are you okay?"

"I'm getting better. By the way, I never knew you lived round here," Hyerim adds, looking puzzled.

He shrugs, "well I didn't know you lived here either, so... I guess I'll be seeing you around then." She nods, and the two are stuck in an uncomfortable silence. "Uh, Seungcheol hyung's having a birthday party soon." She raises her eyebrows in interest. "Uh, you should come. I mean, the details haven't been decided yet, but I guess you'll hear about it."

"Cool. Will Mingyu oppa be there?" Her eyes light up, and Wonwoo's mind flashes back to the scene that's been playing on repeat once again.

"Yeah, I guess."

 

 

Wonwoo is already half asleep on his bed, when his phone's text notification goes off. "Ughh," he rubs his eyes and lazily unlocks his phone, squinting at the white light.

**Mingyu: Can we start tutoring tomorrow after school? I'm free, so... ^^**

He blinks at the text a few times, registering the words 'Mingyu', 'tutoring', and 'tomorrow', before typing a reply.

**Wonwoo: uhm suure**

**Mingyu: :)What time?**

Wonwoo groans.

**Wonwoo: like uhh**

**Wonwoo: five or soemthinng**

Mingyu stares at his phone screen, _sleepy Wonwoo is so cute_ , he thinks, before deciding to put his phone down and just leave the boy to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Wonwoo is so ready for the weekend as he saunters down the corridor on a late Friday afternoon, heading for his last lesson of the day: literature. As he approaches the classroom, he realises that it's the first time since they came back that he's had literature.

He slides open the door.

"Wonwoo hyung?" His eyes immediately flicker over to the side, and he sees Mingyu and Jun sitting at the front corner of the classroom. _Great._ Before he can reply, the teacher has walked over and pointed out where he should be sitting- right at the back.

Wonwoo internally sighs in relief as he makes his way to his designated seat, far away from Kim Mingyu. Propping his chin on his palm, he watches as Jun playfully elbows Mingyu, and the younger slaps him back.

"Hey," the sudden voice causes Wonwoo to draw his eyes away from the pair, and his eyes widen in surprise when he sees Soonyoung taking a seat next to him. Wonwoo smiles at him. In the week he's known Soonyoung, they hadn't really had a chance to talk, but he seemed like a friendly guy.

"Did I interrupt you from staring at Mingyu? Sorry!" Okay, maybe he was little _too_ friendly, or maybe even nosy.

"Uh, wow, no. I wasn't staring, I was just- I just looked over there for a second." Wonwoo clears his throat, feeling heat rise to his cheeks. "A-Anyway, I didn't know you were in this class," he adds, trying to change the subject.

Soonyoung grins, "well I didn't know you were in this class either." He copies Wonwoo by holding his chin up with his palm and stares in Mingyu's direction. "Isn't he cute?" He says, a dreamy tone lingering in his voice.

"Huh? M-Mingyu's not cute!" Wonwoo exclaims, ignoring the fact that he's blatantly lying, and that it couldn't be more obvious.

"I didn't say Mingyu, I meant Jun..." Soonyoung turns to a surprised Wonwoo, and a silence follows. "Ha! Caught you! You think Mingyu's cute so you automatically assumed I was talking about him. Oooohhhhh," He cracks up and starts doing a weird cheering dance in his seat.

Wonwoo turns away, "okay, what the hell."

"Hey, don't be mad! Mingyu thinks you're really cute too," Soonyoung's eyes crease up as he beams. Seeing Wonwoo's expression makes him laugh even louder. "Wasn't it obvious enough already?"

"W-Well yes, but when someone says it to my face..." He trails off awkwardly.

Soonyoung puts an arm around Wonwoo's shoulder, "just so you know, I do actually think Mingyu's cute." Wonwoo turns to look at him, and sees that he's serious. "And so does half the school, so if you like him you should let him know. He won't be interested forever."

"Um," Wonwoo shrugs the arm off, "I think you guys are mistaken about something."

"Oh?"

"I'm not... gay?" He says, and Soonyoung raises an eyebrow, shrugging.

"Sure, whatever you say."

Wonwoo's mouth drops open in disbelief, _why the hell is everyone questioning my sexuality?_ "Hey, I'm serious. I think I like this girl, so..."

"What?! Who?" Soonyoung's full attention has turned to his partner, and his eyes are wide. "Does Mingyu know about this? Oh my god, who is it?"

"Um," Wonwoo doesn't know whether he should say, because the only good thing that could come out of that would be, well, nothing. And the bad things that could come from letting Soonyoung in on his secret was: 1, Mingyu would find out; 2, Hyerim would find out; 3, the whole school would find out.

Unfortunately, Soonyoung's smile seems to work like magic. "Hyerim..." Wonwoo regrets it the moment her name slips out of his mouth.

"As in _Kang Hyerim_?!" Wonwoo nods. "Oooh she's cute. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone!' He promises, but Wonwoo doesn't know whether he can really trust the blondie and his overwhelmingly bright smile.

As soon as lesson ends, Wonwoo rushes out, careful to avoid Mingyu who had been annoyingly friendly with Jun the whole lesson. Not that it's wrong to be friendly with one of your best friends, obviously. But there's no need be so close that your heads are conjoined, and what's with the arm linking, seriously? Besides, Wonwoo had been asked to deliver some maths notes and homework for Hyerim since they lived near each other. And he was going to be seeing Mingyu later on for their tutoring session anyway. So avoiding him was not weird or unreasonable, he just had things to do.

 

Wonwoo admires the tulips and roses planted neatly outside Hyerim's garden as he waits patiently for the door to be answered. Compared to his own house, where it looks like the grass was coloured in recklessly, and the flowers were scrawled on haphazardly, Kang Hyerim's home looks welcoming and pretty, as if it popped out of a page from a child's storybook. Almost like herself.

"Wonwoo oppa?" The door opens, revealing a tired but surprised Hyerim with messy hair.

He tears his attention away from the garden, "oh um hey," he waves the papers around awkwardly, shifting on his feet, "I was told to give you these. Maths homework."

"Oh, ugh..." She visibly droops and Wonwoo smiles a little.

"Sorry," he passes her the papers. "I hope you get better soon though," he adds. Wonwoo mentally takes in the beauty of her bare face and wonders just how anyone could look so good wearing pyjamas with bed hair and a red face.

"Thanks, I'm recovering pretty steadily. Will probably be back to school on Monday." She forces out a smile and is about to shut the door, "wait. Um, do you want to come in or anything? Have a cup of, well, anything you want? I mean, so I can repay you for this... maths homework," she jokingly makes a face of disgust at the sheets she is holding.

Wonwoo beams inwardly and is about to take her up on the offer, when he suddenly remembers something and glances at his watch. Damn it. "Oh, I actually have a tutoring session to go to and it's in like 10 minutes, so I think I have to run." He decides to leave out the important detail that his tutor is Mingyu.

"Oh, that's okay!"

He turns to go, and then stops. "Maybe another time?" Wonwoo suggests, and she smiles.

"Sure."

 

"You're early." Wonwoo breathes out when he spots Mingyu walking up to his front door.

The taller whips around in surprise, hearing the familiar voice. "And where've you been?" He demands playfully.

"Um, somewhere. Just a place." Wonwoo decides not to mention that Hyerim lives close by and he has pretty much just come back from visiting her. Even Mingyu's curious face consisting of raised eyebrows and gleaming eyes wouldn't be able to pry that one out of him.

He walks over, "come on in."

"Wow, this is your room?" Mingyu asks, jumping through the door to an expanse of monochrome furniture and messy piles of clothes (mostly jeans). "It's so nice!"

"Yeah, um ignore these..." Wonwoo starts picking up his jeans and tossing them away while regretting the decision on procrastinating instead of tidying up and making his space look just a little more presentable.

"Can I sit on your bed?" Mingyu asks innocently, and Wonwoo is sure that he meant nothing more than to just sit down on his bed (just like he said), but still can not help the blush creeping on to his face.

"Uh, sure." He goes over to join him. There isn't much space anywhere else anyway.

Mingyu starts laying down his textbooks, "so where do you want to start?"

"Well, I was thinking you could help me on binomials? I mean it's really stupid how those distribution questions are worded. And also I really need some help understanding how to find the minimum and maximum values of x, I don't really get how-"

Mingyu laughs. And it's not just a laugh, but a full-on, canines on display kind of laugh. Wonwoo pretends that it's not making his heart evaporate away. "Woah, one step at a time yeah, hyung?" _Hyung._ His heart's completely gone.

"Um, yeah."

They spend the evening going over topics Wonwoo doesn't understand, answering all the questions he has, and occasionally hitting each other. Wonwoo decides that he doesn't regret having Mingyu as a tutor because it turns out he's actually really good at explaining things.

"So, do you want me to test you with some questions and see how well you've learnt?" Wonwoo nods. "Okay, then how about we make it into a game as well?"

"Huh? How?" His mind starts running all over the place, but Mingyu relieves his worries quickly.

"Ten questions. If you get more right than wrong, you can ask me to do anything. If you get more wrong than right, I get to make you do something. Loser can't say no. Deal?" There's a mischevious glint in his eyes, something telling Wonwoo to say no. But Jeon Wonwoo loves a challenge.

"Sure."

It only takes about twenty minutes for Wonwoo to regret his choice, because ultimately, he loses. 

"What do you want?" He sighs in defeat.

Mingyu grins, "well I don't actually know yet. But when I do, you can't refuse what I ask for. Okay?"

"Well those were the terms," Wonwoo nods.

"What were you going to ask for if you won?" Mingyu asks out of interest. 

"If I tell you will you do it?"

A laugh escapes the younger boy's mouth. "Let's hear it first."

Wonwoo clears his throat, "I want you to not ambush me anymore." Mingyu looks confused. "As in no surprise kisses or holding my hand or pinning me against the wall all of a sudden." He's red, but he ignores it. 

"Okay. Fine."

Wonwoo whips his head up, "seriously?"

"Yup. But only if you win the next round."


	6. Chapter 6

Wonwoo gulps in concentration as he scribbles furiously on a sheet of paper. It's the last question of the game, and if gets it right, he wins, and Mingyu would have to agree to the deal. And if he doesn't? It'll be a draw, and well, God knows what happens then. Because a compromise just wouldn't do for Wonwoo.

After checking over his answer for the fifth time, he hands over the paper. "Done!"

Mingyu takes one glance at his work and smirks, eyes piercing into the older's anxious ones. "Wrong, sorry." He dangles the piece of paper in front of him playfully, and Wonwoo frowns. Where did he go wrong?

Before he can even open his mouth to ask, Mingyu points it out. "Here." His finger is directed at the expansion near the bottom of the page, and Wonwoo furrows his brows in confusion before slapping his forehead with his right palm. "Since when was 8 times 12... 92, Wonwoo hyung?" He taunts.

"Yeah, okay. So it's a draw. What happens now?"

Mingyu props his chin onto his palm, grinning cheekily, "well you tell me, what do you want to happen?"

Scoffing, Wonwoo scowls. "Are you serious?" Mingyu sounded so much like his mother right then, and it was unbelievable. "Do you think I'm a child?" Clearly frustrated by his loss, Wonwoo's smiles and determined attitude fizzles away.

"Aw, don't frown. I'll still agree with the deal." Wonwoo is beginning to think that Mingyu's resting face is that blindingly bright grin, and that his neutral face actually needs to be made at will. Surprisingly, it doesn't seem like it would be too difficult for Mingyu.

"Really? Why?" He sees no good reason that Mingyu would agree, apart from maybe that he wants the same thing. The thought of that is kind of unbearable for some reason.

Mingyu resumes his resting face, "because you're my friend, and I should do what you want. Even if I might not like it."

"Oh, how valiant and selfless, Kim Mingyu," the older remarks sarcastically. Mingyu raises an eyebrow in amusement, and is about to open his mouth to retract his offer, when Wonwoo realises and quickly stops him. "I take it back! Just- you promise to stick to the deal, yeah?"

He shrugs, "yeah, sure." Mingyu's casual manner kind of shocks Wonwoo, but he shakes it off. "What if I break the rules though? What are the risks?"

"Huh?" Wonwoo hadn't thought of that. "You'll owe me something else then."

Mingyu smirks, "I wouldn't mind owing you never-ending favours to be honest."

"It'll be something awful!"

With his hands behind him on either side, Mingyu leans back, "right... So scared. But I'll still play along. What about you? Is this a one-way deal, or do the rules apply to you too?"

"What? Of course not, why would I want to touch you anyway?" Wonwoo says, while giving him the most flabbergasted look and then scoffing in exaggeration.

Mingyu pretends to look confused, "...right. Because I'm the one who's always blushing like a little boy."

"Okay bye. Get out."

 

 

Two weeks later, Mingyu is standing in front of a tall mirror and buttoning up his denim shirt, making sure to leave the top two undone. His hair is styled strategically to look, well, hot, but not intentionally try-hard hot, just naturally hot. He's also wearing skinny black jeans and boot shoes. No, he does not have someone in particular he wants to impress. He just wants to look attractive, as does everyone else in the world.

"Mingyu, you ready yet? We're all waiting," Soonyoung yawns boredly, rolling to his back, closer to Seokmin. Mingyu only replies with an 'mm', and the others all sigh.

"Seungcheol's birthday awaits, hyung." Chan gets up and goes over to Mingyu, trying to hurry him.

Mingyu sighs, "I'm only trying to look good," he mumbles in concentration. And the four at the back all give each other amused looks.

"Why? So you can look good for your boyfriend, Wonwoo?" Jun teases, and the others all chuckle.

"He's not my boyfriend..." He mutters, still checking himself out, paying particular attention to his hair.

Minghao snickers, "unfortunately for you."

"I can't believe you two kissed and still nothing's happening. I swear you guys have been kind of... avoiding each other lately?" Soonyoung's eyes sparkle in interest, and he sits up. But Mingyu just ignores the question. It has been extremely difficult for him to fulfill the deal, especially when Wonwoo's always around him, so he has tried to stay as far away as possible. Even tonight. But he can still look good.

"Let's go, guys." He says, slipping his phone into his jean pocket.

"Finally."

 

 

Wonwoo is hanging around the entrance with Hansol and Seungkwan, and occasionally eyeing the door. A lot of people have already arrived and are drinking, dancing, making out. He's already made awkward eye contact with at least two people, so he believes it's time Mingyu arrived. And Jun and Hoshi and Minghao and Seokmin and Chan. Of course.

"I can't believe you made him eat spicy gummy bears, you're awful." Hansol jokes, and Seungkwan cracks up.

"Well he fell for it!" Seungcheol and the others had already gone upstairs to hang with another crowd. They had asked Wonwoo too, but he wanted to stay in the hallway, and Seungkwan and Hansol stayed with him.

Wonwoo takes a swig of beer, his fingers playing with the neck of the bottle as he brings it away from his lips again.

"Hyung, you waiting for someone?" Hansol asks, sending a look to Seungkwan, who is grinning knowingly (or perhaps borderline creepily).

"H-Huh? Oh, just uh wondering when the rest of the group is arriving. Jun and Hoshi and that." He says, careful to leave out Mingyu's name. Not because he likes him or anything, but because his friends sure thinks he does. Which he doesn't.

Just as Seungkwan is about to throw in a comment, the door opens. A group of six guys step through, greeting people as they walk in, grinning, laughing. The two groups immediately find their way to each other.

"Hey guys! Birthday boy is upstairs, probably trying to get lucky," Seungkwan announces, but whispers the last part cheekily.

They laugh, "we'll get him later. How's it going?" Soonyoung asks, grabbing himself a drink.

Mingyu zones out of the conversation from that point onwards, because Jeon Wonwoo is looking incredible. And by that, he means fan-fucking-tastic. And by _that_ , he means he has never been so ready to kiss someone in his whole entire life. Except he can't. But he can look. His eyes roam shamelessly, admiring his simple grey t-shirt (which may or may not be clinging way too close to Wonwoo's torso), black jeans which are smiliar to his own (except Wonwoo's has rips), and to top it all off, a beanie. How does one look so underdressed yet so good? Mingyu does not understand.

And Wonwoo does not understand how Mingyu can stare so blatantly at him, especially when the other guys are all eyeing the pair of them, snickering and gesturing. He fakes a cough, bringing Mingyu back to reality.

"Well, I'm gonna go... talk to people. I'll see you guys around," Mingyu says awkwardly, and then escapes. Awesome.

Wonwoo spots Jun followng Mingyu, and takes another gulp of his drink.

 

 

"So... why are you really avoiding Wonwoo?" Jun asks. They're standing in a quiet corner, bottles in hands.

Mingyu shrugs, "you know that thing where you find someone so, so, _so_ attractive that you decide it's probably easier to just stay the hell away?"

"Um. No?" Well of course Jun doesn't. He's a major flirt, and always gets what (or who) he wants. "I mean, I get that some people might have that. But me? No. And you? Definitely not. What are you doing? What happened to your confidence?"

"Here's the thing," Mingyu starts reluctantly, "we made a deal. I'm not technically allowed to..."

Jun snorts, "sexually harrass him?" The younger rolls his eyes at the comment. "Yeah, I get what you mean. Continue."

"That's all. There's nothing to continue. If it wasn't for that damn deal, I would totally just, like-"

"You don't have to do it." Jun says, a mischevious tone lacing his words; Mingyu looks at him in confusion. "Just make him come to you." The skeptical look on Mingyu's face prompts him to continue. "You gotta ignore him and hang out with other people. Let him see what he's missing out on."

"Make him jealous? No way." There's a pause. "Okay, maybe it'll work. Is this a tested method?"

Jun nods smugly, "of course. Who do you think I am?"

"You don't want me to answer that one."

"Shh. I just helped you, okay? Ungrateful." Jun shakes his head in disapproval. Mingyu smiles. For some reason, he would always find it comfortable to tell Jun about his issues. Which is kind of funny, because if Mingyu had to choose, Soonyoung would probably be his closest friend. It's just that Jun knows how to listen and joke around at the same time really well. "So maybe I deserve a thanks..?" He subtly points to his lips.

Mingyu scoffs arrogantly. "Puh-lease."

"I'm joking, jeez- On second thought, I'm not." Mingyu gives him a confused look. "Because Jeon Wonwoo is standing on the other side of the room, staring at us, so now would be a really good time to, you know."

Mingyu stares at him, hesitant. "You know what? We should just dance."

"Wow, that's weak. I can't guarantee 100% customer satisfaction with that." Jun says, as Mingyu starts making his way to the crowd.

"Not if we do it right."


	7. Chapter 7

"Hey," Wonwoo turns to see Hyerim making her way towards him, and he can't help but appreciate what he's seeing. She's wearing high waisted jean shorts, and a shirt which exposes her midriff just ever so slightly. He gulps. Her heels accentuate her height, making her legs seem much longer and slender, which Wonwoo definitely does not mind. "So what's up?"

Wonwoo glances away briefly and then into her eyes, "um... not much. Just having a drink. You seen Seungcheol yet?" He asks, trying to make conversation.

"Actually, no. But I think most people aren't here to celebrate his birthday anyway." She laughs, "I mean, look at this." Hyerim holds up her bottle of beer, before taking a sip.

"Free alcohol. Yep, I think this house would be pretty empty if it weren't for bottled poison."

She raises a perfectly drawn brow, "not a drinker?"

"Oh, I am. I just happen to be aware of its effects." Hyerim opens her mouth to speak, but he cuts her off, knowing what she's about to say. "And yet I still drink? Uh-huh." He takes a swig of beer as if to prove himself. "I don't know why. I just do. I mean, it's so... relaxing? It's like I can totally just do what I want and it'll be like, totally okay because it wasn't really me doing it, it was-"

Hyerim cuts him off, "Wonwoo oppa, are you drunk?" Her voice comes out mixed with amusement and surprise.

"Um, no... Okay maybe a little," he lets out a laugh, his nose scrunching cutely. Honestly, Wonwoo hadn't really had much to do apart from drink. He's not really up for talking to people (he's not one to mix with strangers), and with the crowds pushing and shoving, Wonwoo would probably have more luck outrunning an incoming tsunami than getting through. So he's been stuck with downing bottle after bottle for the past few hours.

Her lips curve upwards, "wow, never thought I'd see a drunk Jeon Wonwoo..."

"Consider it a privelige."

She chuckles, and then turns to him in excitement. "Hey, have you seen Mingyu oppa around? I was looking for him, but no luck." Hyerim pouts.

"Ugh, um, no not really-" Wonwoo is cut short when he sees two figures standing closely in the corner of the next room. Standing awfully closely in fact. Too close. Mingyu and Jun are holding bottles in hands, having what seems to be a _very_ interesting conversation. _What the hell, no one stands that close to have a conversation._

He stares at them a little longer, trying to clear up his vision by blinking several times, and then glances at the space between him and Hyerim. Yep, Mingyu and Jun are standing abnormally close, alright. He grips his bottle just a little harder.

 

 

"I'm joking, jeez- On second thought, I'm not." Mingyu gives him a confused look. "Because Jeon Wonwoo is standing on the other side of the room, staring at us, so now would be a really good time to, you know."

Mingyu stares at him, hesitant. "You know what? We should just dance."

"Wow, that's weak. I can't guarantee 100% customer satisfaction with that." Jun says, as Mingyu starts making his way to the crowd.

"Not if we do it right."

They find a spot in the crowd, where it's relatively close to the edges to be seen. "This is gonna be so weird," Mingyu mutters under his breath, as the music blares on maximum volume, vibrating through his body and sending adrenaline through his fingertips to his feet.

He feels a tingling heat rise inside him as Jun's back rubs against his body in rhythm to the music. Glancing at Wonwoo out of the corner of his eye, he purposely snakes an arm around Jun's waist and pulls him in closer, until they can hear each other's ragged breaths better than the heavy beats of the music.

Making sure that Wonwoo is still staring, or in this case, glaring, Mingyu leans his head down and presses his lips against the side of Jun's flushed neck, slowly progressing down towards his collarbones. Jun throws his head back, half gasping and half laughing as he feels a tiny bite on his lower neck.

"Wow, Kim Mingyu. If you keep this up, I might really fall for you." Jun breathes out, as their bodies continue moving in sync.

Mingyu doesn't stop, "go ahead. That'll be your problem, not mine."

"Asshole."

 

Wonwoo watches furiously as they grind against each other; he's ready to snap the empty beer bottle he's holding into two. What the actual fuck. By this time, Hyerim has already wandered off to find Mingyu, unaware of the fact that he's putting on a show and she's just given up one of the best audience spots next to Wonwoo.

_It's okay. It's fine. Mingyu is the one who likes you, not the other way round._ He tells himself, inhaling and exhaling deeply. _Stop letting the alcohol affect you, Jeon Wonwoo._

He's about to walk away, when Mingyu does the unthinkable. The boy decides to fucking lean down and make out with Jun's neck. Gross, gross, gross. Disgusting.

Still, Wonwoo's eyes are glued on the scene not 6ft away from him. He sees Jun tipping his head back in pleasure, he sees the grin on Mingyu's face, he sees the way their bodies are pressed against eachother. And he's so mad.

Wonwoo decides it must just be the alcohol and the confusion running through his head. Confusion? Yes, confusion. Because the last time he checked, Mingyu liked him, not wushu boy. So what the hell is he doing?!

He considers storming over, he also considers walking away. But against his better judgement, he just stands there and watches.

 

The heat is beginning to get to both Jun and Mingyu, which is obvious from the sweat gliding down their skin. "Damn, hyung, I never knew you were good at this," Mingyu pants out, his voice tickling Jun's neck.

"It's nothing surprisng, really." Jun smirks in the darkness, and glances up to look at the younger, whose handsome face is illuminated by the flashing lights for just a millisecond.  
"Seriously though. If I closed my eyes, I might just be able to make out with you," Mingyu jokes.

Jun chuckles under his breath, "I could do that without having to close my eyes." In a flash, he's turned around to face Mingyu and his right arm is hanging around Mingyu's neck, bringing him closer towards him. Their lips are ghosting against each other.

"Wow, Jun hyung, I can feel you've been working out," he whispers. Now that their torsos are pressed together, Mingyu can feel the other's toned chest and muscular body extremely well. Jun's lips smirk against his.

"You like that?"

"Hmm..." Mingyu hums, sending vibrations through both their lips, "maybe."

Jun grins, "well say goodbye little boy, because Wonwoo is about to leave any moment and you need to disappear first." He detaches himself just slightly, almost reluctantly.

"Why do we have to leave first?" Mingyu asks.

"So he can chase after you."

 

They're kissing, they're practically kissing and Wonwoo is livid. They're not full on making out, and it's weird, because it almost looks like they're talking with their lips against each other (which Wonwoo reckons to be the strangest thing in the world). But if two people's lips touch, then it's a kiss right?

In fact, the way that it looks like they're teasing each other simply drives Wonwoo insane. A dark and completely crazy thought has been hanging in the back of Wonwoo's mind the whole time, and he finally allows it to come to the front and display all the shame and embarrassment that it comes with. Maybe, the reason that he's so mad is that maybe, just maybe, he really wants to be Jun right now.

But that couldn't be it. Nope. No way.

He watches intensely as the pair stop dancing, and Mingyu coolly slides out of the crowd, followed by Jun. _Where are they going now? Oh god, no please don't, oh my god, they're going upstairs. THEY'RE GOING UPSTAIRS. JEON WONWOO DO SOMETHING._

Or not. Wonwoo grabs another bottle and heads off to another crowd, _away_ from Mingyu.

"Why so sad?" A familiar voice turns him around.

"Oh, Soonyoung? Hey." He barely has any energy left to talk, but he swears the cheerful boy has some kind of contagious energy. He smiles, pretending that he hasn't just endured the most infuriating experience of his life. "And I'm not sad."

"If you're looking for Mingyu, he's hitting on guys upstairs with Jun." Soonyoung grins cheekily, ignoring Wonwoo's attempts at hiding his feelings.

"Wait, what?" He'd assumed that Jun and Mingyu had gone up to do something more... private than that, but oh well, not that he cares. At all.

Soonyoung laughs, "what were you expecting?"

"Huh? Well, um, aren't Jun and Mingyu like... a thing? I mean, I don't know I just saw them dancing in a crowd and they looked pretty close, as in like physically close literally no breathing space needed close so I was like confused I guess and woah I don't like Mingyu or anything like I said I was just confused but not anymore I guess he just likes attention not to call him a whore or anything but he totally is I-"

Soonyoung's mouth grows wider and wider until he bursts into wild laughter, "woah! Are you sure you're okay? Maybe I should take that from you," he reaches out to take his beer bottle.

"No, I'm fine. I'm only a little tiny bit drunk..." He murmurs, snatching his bottle away. "I'm gonna go upstairs."

He doesn't even hear Soonyoung's reply as he begins manoeuvring through the crowd and making his way upstairs. Wonwoo's steps are unsteady, and he doesn't recognise the people who say hi to him as he stumbles past them. For a moment, he feels like his mind is no longer attached to his body, and his hand reaches for the banister to steady himself.

As he finally reaches the top, he sees Mingyu chatting up a group of guys he's never seen before. They're all tall and skinny, laughing at whatever jokes Mingyu or Jun must be telling them. _Ugh._

Wonwoo's standing about a metre away, and he can't tell whether Mingyu has spotted him or not. He watches him, indulging in his sparkling laughter, bright smiles and familiar voice. Those strangers don't deserve what should be his.

He takes one last chug from his bottle before throwing it away. Pushing through a few people, Wonwoo storms his way over to Mingyu. Before Mingyu can even register how close Wonwoo is standing, he speaks up. "Hey." His voice is deep and he's breathing heavily, his eyes gazing into Mingyu's, almost hypnotizing him. "Congratulations. You get what you want."

Mingyu is about to question his ambiguous words, when Wonwoo pulls on his shirt suddenly, bringing him close and smashing their lips together. Wonwoo's hands loosen their grip on his shirt and move desperately towards the rest of his body. His right hand finds the nape of Mingyu's neck and brings him even closer, and his left hand rakes through his hair, gripping and tugging for support.

Mingyu's mind is spinning in disbelief, and he can barely recognise the fact that Wonwoo's lips are tugging on his until he feels his lower lip being bitten. "Ah," he lets out a low moan and he feels his back hit the wall. Recovering from his initial shock, Mingyu's left hand lands on the older's lower back, and pulls him in towards himself. His other pulls Wonwoo's beanie off, letting it fall to the ground.

Wonwoo's heart is drumming incredibly fast inside his chest, and Mingyu's is either about to jump out of his throat or spontaneously combust. Mingyu pulls back for air, "Wonwoo wai-"

But Wonwoo doesn't wait. He dives straight back in, this time with his tongue, and Mingyu feels his knees go weak. The unusual mix of mint and alcohol penetrates his senses, and Mingyu realises that he never wants this to end. Mingyu's hand travels under Wonwoo's shirt, and the feeling of skin against skin drives both of them insane. His touch sears into Wonwoo, who groans into their kiss.

Wonwoo, whose head is dizzy and intoxicated, can barely make out the voices from around him. There is whooping and cheering and suggestive comments. He devours Mingyu's mouth even further, while trying to hold back his moans. _God, this feels so good_ is his only thought, as his hands begin to roam towards other areas.

"YES WONWOO GET SOME!" Someone shouts from behind them, and Wonwoo suddenly stumbles back, pulling away. He's panting, and his mind is a haze. With one hand against the side of his head, his vision clears for him to see Kim Mingyu, equally flustered and breathless. Still gasping for air, Wonwoo turns and walks away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahHAHA bye


	8. Chapter 8

"WAIT. WHAT?" Wonwoo is sitting up against the wall of Seungcheol's bedroom, holding a cup of water in one hand and a couple of painkillers in the other, which is kind of a problem, because he obviously needs something to pick up his slack jaw. "I. DID. WHAT?" He enunciates each word in disbelief of what his best friend has just told him.

Seungcheol rolls his eyes, "for the third time already, YOU PUSHED KIM MINGYU UP THE WALL AND MADE OUT WITH HIM IN FRONT OF HALF THE SCHOOL. Is that clear enough for you?"

"Oh my god, why, why would I do that?" Wonwoo slowly places the pills in his mouth and gulps the water down in the same speed that his brain is processing Seungcheol's words (in slow motion).

"Huh? I don't know," Seungcheol puts his hand under his chin and pretends to think deeply, "maybe because you find him attractive as hell?"

Wonwoo chokes. "Okay, that's not true," he splutters, wiping the water from his mouth. "I like girls."

"Yeah, I thought so too Wonwoo. I'm not so sure anymore." Seungcheol takes the cup of water away from him, setting it aside. "Do you remember _anything_?"

He gulps, rubbing his head, "um, I don't know. A little bit?" Wonwoo remembers bits and pieces, but they're all torn apart, out of sequence, incoherent.

"Okay, can I describe it to you in full detail?" Wonwoo shakes his head, _hell no._ "Too bad. I watched you with my own two eyes and half sober state, stumble over to Mingyu and literally like eat his face off. He was just standing there, seriously."

"Oh god, wait, shit, does this mean I sexually harrassed-"

Seungcheol covers Wonwoo's mouth with his hand, "Shh. I'm not done. No, you didn't because then he started kissing you back and you were both touching eachother _everywhere_ and I was screaming and Jun was laughing so hard and Jisoo was crying and Seungkwan started throwing up and everyone else was filming and cheering. I can't believe you, Jeon Wonwoo." Wonwoo's eyes have expanded to a size which was not recognised as possible before this moment. "AND THEN YOU WALKED AWAY. WHAT THE HELL-" Seungcheol throws his hands up in frustration and incredulity.

Wonwoo sighs, "oh thank god. Wait, why was Jisoo hyung crying? And why was Seungkwan _throwing up_? They weren't homophobes the last time I checked... and where is Mingyu now?" He glances around, seeing some of his other friends still passed out on Seungcheol's bedroom floor.

"Crying from laughter, Wonwoo. And Seungkwan had too much alcohol, he'd already thrown up twice before that. I'm pretty sure he'll still remember every single bit of your _moment_ though. And he's not here, idiot. He went home with some of the others."

"With Jun?!" Wonwoo almost shouts, and Seungcheol looks at him suspiciously.

"I think so..? Yeah, yeah he did go home with Jun actually."

Wonwoo groans, "ugh." And then it all comes back. Watching them grind against each other on the dance floor, their sort-of kiss which still really pisses him off, and most importantly... their own moment. The way he gripped Mingyu's neck, the way they ran their fingers through each other's hair, the way Mingyu pulled away, panting; the way their tongues... and Mingyu's hand... Okay. This is too much. _Way_ too much.

He stands up, "oh my god. This is bad. This is really bad." Seungcheol gives him a look before going back to his own bed. "Should I be scared that you're not even making fun of me?"

"Don't piss yourself stupid. I would laugh at you, but I'm also incredibly hung over, you know?" He groans as he pulls a pillow over his head. "Ugh, I even got you water and medicine like this... I'm so nice," Seungcheol grumbles to himself.

Wonwoo feels a small amount of relief, and goes to check his phone. Several missed calls and unread messages, one from his mum, and all but one from none other than Kim Mingyu. He knows he shouldn't, but he opens a text from Mingyu. Just one.

**Hyung. We should talk.**

And another one.

**If you blame this on alcohol, I'll hate you forever... >:c**

Fuck. He can't look at any of the others after that one, because guess what? He blames it entirely on the drinks.

The weekend passes in a blur of ignoring Mingyu's texts, thinking about the party over and over again, and trying to figure out why the hell he thought it would've been a good idea to kiss Mingyu.

 

 

It's Monday, and Wonwoo is still so mad and confused at himself. He walks down the corridor, regretting everything he has ever thought or done as he reaches his locker. _Damn it Wonwoo, why do you even exist? Why do you make such dumb choices? Why are you so gay? Shut up, I'm not gay. I like girls. I like Hyerim, remember? OH MY GOD. Did Hyerim see the kiss?_ Wonwoo begins to panic. How had he not thought of this possible crisis in the past two days?

"Wonwoo hyung." Hyerim crisis averted. Mingyu crisis approaching.

The older boy gulps, not ready to turn to his right, where Mingyu is standing awkwardly. "Hey..." Wonwoo begins, slowly closing his locker door and turning to Mingyu. He looks like he's had no sleep in the past 48 hours.

"I couldn't sleep." He says, as if to confirm Wonwoo's suspicions. "Hyung..." _Oh my god, this is so awkward._ Mingyu trails off, sighing. There's an aching inside of him because all he wants to do is scream at Wonwoo for ignoring him the whole weekend, and causing him to stay up every night, pining for him. But he also wants to just wrap his arms around him and feel the warmth of Wonwoo's body all over his own.

"Why did you do that?" Mingyu finally says.

Wonwoo shuffles on his feet uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact. "Do what?" He mumbles, even though he knows exactly what he's talking about.

"Why did you kiss me?" They both know it was more than just a simple kiss, but there wasn't any need to describe it any more... _realistically._

"Um." Wonwoo is praying for the bells to ring so that he'll have an excuse to run away. "I- I don't know. Let's talk about it tonight." He finally meets Mingyu's eyes, and then immediately looks away. The longing burning inside those brown orbs is too much for him. It makes him feel guilty.

"So I don't need to bring textbooks then?" Mingyu murmurs, and Wonwoo shrugs.

"I don't know, it's up to you. You still up for tutoring me after that?"

"No. But I'm up for spending time with you..." Wonwoo ignores the feeling that his heart is melting inside him right there, right then. He figures it must be the discomfort and tension getting to him.

Mingyu pulls something out of his bag, "here." It's his beanie, and Mingyu's holding it out as if he doesn't want to give it back. _Tell me to keep it_ , his mind seems to be screaming. After all, it smells like muddy grass and fabric softener, like Wonwoo. "You dropped it." _More like I pulled it off in a frenzy_ , he thinks.

"Thanks," Wonwoo says, not sensing Mingyu's attachment to the garment. As he grabs it, their fingertips meet just slightly, and Mingyu averts his eyes, silently sucking in a breath of air. The tiniest touch is a temptation inviting him to give in to all his emotions, which he can't do no matter what.

 

 

Wonwoo sits impatiently in maths, paying attention to anything but the board. Nothing makes sense anyway. His eyes travel from the open windows to the carpeted floor, from his calculator to his feet, and finally for the thousandth time, back to Kang Hyerim.

He'd wanted to talk to her before lesson started, but she was late, which means he's now stuck in an hour of torture, not understanding anything and trying to figure out whether Hyerim knows about that and how she feels about it.

After what felt like an eternity, the lesson ends. "Hyerim!" He calls after her as a crowd of students rush to exit the room. It takes about two more tries before she turns around to face him. She does not look happy.

"What is it?" Her eyes are glaring into his, icy and full of loathing.

He frowns, "uhm. I take it you heard about-"

"Yeah, I did." She says, cutting him off. Hyerim taps her right foot on the floor, clearly impatient and unimpressed. Despite her attempts to look nonchalant, her eyes seem tired, and her complexion isn't glowing like usual.

Wonwoo bites his lips before continuing. "I-I'm sorry? I was really drunk, okay?" He reasons with her, not completely sure why she's angry. Is it because she likes Mingyu so much, or is there a possibility that she likes... _him_? Wonwoo does not dare to ask.

"It's fine." She says, her voice cutting into him and it's made clear that nothing is fine. Hyerim is about to storm off, when Wonwoo's voice stops her.

"Why do you like Mingyu so much?"

She spins around, a half-amused look on her face, her arms crossed over her chest. "Why do _you_?"


	9. Chapter 9

_Why do you?_ Wonwoo sits confused on the floor of his bedroom. His book is laying half open on his bed, discarded while he sorts through his troubling thoughts. _Well that's a stupid question_ , he thinks, _because I don't like Mingyu._

 _Sure, he's kind of attractive_ , Wonwoo reasons with himself, _he's tall and his face is like wow- okay he's really hot. But that doesn't mean-_

"Hey." He's interrupted by a voice at the door. "Your mum let me in," Mingyu says awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Wonwoo notices that his tutor isn't carrying any textbooks, and comes to the realisation that they're probably going to be having a very long (not to mention intense) talk.

Wonwoo had made sure to clean up his bedroom floor so that they didn't have to awkwardly use the bed, and so Mingyu sits down on the carpet.

"Soonyoung hyung told me that you said you like Hyerim," Mingyu jumps straight into the conversation, and the older is both taken aback and slightly annoyed that Soonyoung didn't keep his secret, even though he had a feeling he wouldn't anyway.

He lets out a breath of air, not making eye contact with Mingyu, "uh, yeah. I did say that." The other's wide eyes urge him to go on, desperate for an explanation. "Because... I do."

Mingyu doesn't look amused, "since when?"

"Since I first saw her?" Wonwoo shrugs, realising that he's unsure of this himself and suddenly feels slightly stupid. "It's stupid, yeah I know, I just-"

"It's not stupid."

Wonwoo's eyes finally meet Mingyu's, surprised. "Okay... So you get it-"

"Because I remember how I felt the first time I saw you." Mingyu cuts him off, and Wonwoo pauses, mentally digesting the information before nodding. "Two years ago."

"Wait what?" He almost chokes on his own breath. Wonwoo didn't even know Mingyu existed two years ago, and this guy is telling him that he's been noticing him the whole time? How could that even be possible?

Mingyu hugs his knees towards himself, "yeah. I was running away from Seokmin hyung and fell on the floor. You opened the door I was facing, and I remember even your shoes leaving an impression on me." He smiles lightly to himself as he reminisces, "and then I looked up. And there you were, like a prince standing over a peasant."

Wonwoo notices a slight blush appearing on Mingyu's cheeks, but stays silent, trying to recall the scenario from two years ago.

"And then? You just stepped over me. You were so cool, and I was a mess. Ever since then, my eyes always found you when I was walking to classes, and your name always made me pay attention. It was a stupid crush on a stranger." Mingyu looks up, "and then this year happened. You became my biology partner, and I was so, so, so, so happy. I still am," he adds, unable to stop himself from beaming.

The black haired boy is speechless for a good few minutes. Mingyu can feel his insides tangle up as he nervously waits for a response.

"Okay... um, wow." Is all Wonwoo can muster up. "I think I kind of-" He thinks a little harder, biting his lip absent-mindedly, and Mingyu dies a little on the inside. "I think I remember? I remember mentioning it to the guys after, because it's not every day that you open the door to find someone laying on the floor with his shirt half ridden up."

Mingyu reddens, "h-huh?!" He doesn't remember his body being exposed at all. "What do you mean?"

"Yep, I remember now. You're that idiot I almost stepped on. And there was someone next to you-"

"That was Soonyoung hyung."

Wonwoo nods, "Ohhh," and suddenly, despite the warmth pooling inside Wonwoo, it's not so awkward anymore. "So, uhm, what now?" He'd been dreading this conversation, but now he realises he needs to get some things straight with Mingyu.

"The kiss. Why did you do it?" And the room drowns back into awkwardness and silence once again. Wonwoo doesn't reply, and instead shuffles uncomfortably. "Wonwoo hyung, I really like you." Mingyu's words leave his mouth before he allows them to, and his heart thumps thunderously in anticipation.

Wonwoo gulps, feeling a strange tingle run all over his body, "Mingyu. I-" He hesitates, suddenly rethinking the decision to throw yet another excuse at him. "I don't know," he sighs, running his hand through his hair, recalling the night's events. "I just saw you and Jun together and got kind of... mad?"

Mingyu nods, urging him to go on.

"I, I just thought, you're supposed to like _me_ , right? So why are getting all mixed up with Jun and these other guys?" He looks down. Is it a good idea to be completely honest with Mingyu? Wonwoo doesn't know, but what good would come from lies? "Okay, I- I do think you're attractive, and the kiss was," he leans back, letting out a puff of air, "probably the best I've ever had..."

Mingyu's heart is shooting out of the galaxy right now, and his smile is even brighter than the stars. " _But_ ," Wonwoo continues hurriedly, "I've always liked girls. My whole life, I've never ever been into a guy," he tells him honestly.

"That's okay, it's not like I've never liked a girl before," Mingyu says, "I didn't realise I was into guys until my teenage years."

"But what I'm saying is, I kind of really think I like Hyerim?"

Mingyu's smile drops, "so you like both of us?"

"I guess so? But I don't even know if I properly like guys," Wonwoo looks up to see Mingyu's uncertain eyes and feels a pang of guilt hit him, "so what I'm saying is... What I'm saying is, I was kind of thinking of asking Hyerim out, but I-I need some time to figure this out, yeah?"

The younger swallows, "okay..." He licks his dry lips, as a nauseous feeling rises up inside him. "So what you're saying is that, you don't want to admit you could be gay, so you're just latching yourself onto a girl you kind of like?"

"Huh?! No, that's not it, Mingyu, you know-"

"What I know is that you got really mad when you saw me with Jun, but even with both of us knowing that Hyerim likes me, there's never been a problem." Wonwoo looks shocked. "I'm saying, you got jealous over me, but not over Kang Hyerim. And I think that says something. Don't you?"

There's a long pause, "I need some time."

Mingyu's about to argue back, but decides against it at the last second, holding in his frustration. "Okay." He stands up to go, "I guess I'll just see you tomorrow then."

Wonwoo gets up too, "sure."

 

The next day goes by in a blur. Wonwoo manages to avoid both Mingyu and Hyerim (apart from during lunch time), and earn himself a detention for not paying attention in class. It's not exactly his fault that there isn't enough time in the world for him to contemplate the Mingyu situation.

He wanders to the detention room after school, sulking and hating the fact that he can't take his mind off his dilemma at all.

When he walks into the room, he's surprised to see Hyerim sitting near the back, bored out of her mind and staring out the window. Instinctively, he walks over to her, but stops just a few steps away. _What if she's still mad at me..?_

But it's too late, because she turns away from the window and sees Wonwoo standing there awkwardly, just a few steps away from the seat next to her. Wonwoo breaks off the eye contact and goes to find another seat because she doesn't look particularly happy to see him.

To his surprise, she extends an arm and pulls out the chair next to hers', motioning for him to sit down.

"Hey," Wonwoo mumbles, relieved that she's no longer pissed, but still unsure of whether they're okay or not. Hyerim looks like she's about to reply, but the teacher's loud booming voice stops her.

"You! This is detention, not lunchtime! Stop talking!" He shouts, glaring in Wonwoo's direction.

He sighs, rubbing his forehead, and sees that Hyerim is hiding her laughter with a smirk next to him. Wow.

Detention passes with Wonwoo trying not to fall asleep in his own arms, and with Hyerim reapplying her makeup every ten minutes because there is literally nothing to do (besides studying, which is not really an option). Funny faces were also exchanged once in a while.

The two of them walk out of the classroom together, and Wonwoo finds it difficult to hide a smile on his face.

"Hey, Hyerim... I have something I think I should tell you," he says, as they step outside, feeling a fresh breeze whip through their hair. She turns around to face him, eyebrows raised in question. "Umm," he continues hesitantly.

"I..." Wonwoo watches as flower petals scatter from the trees and settle in Hyerim's hair; he smiles at the sight. "You have flowers in your hair," he grins, raising his hand to pick them away.

And for the first time, he watches a pink glow form on her cheeks. "Hyerim, I-"

"Wonwoo hyung?"

Both Hyerim and Wonwoo look over to see a frowning Mingyu, looking lost and slightly upset. He hadn't meant to call out Wonwoo's name, because he wanted his hyung to come to him by himself. But he couldn't help it. The sight of Wonwoo and Hyerim having such a sweet moment was unbearable.

"Mingyu oppa!" He ignores her, and walks over to Wonwoo.

Wonwoo removes his hand from Hyerim's hair, "what are you doing here?"

"I was staying behind doing coursework," he grumbles, clearly in a mood now. Well, this is awkward.

Wonwoo hasn't exactly got the brightest mind, but he realises now that he's got two options: one, tell Hyerim that he likes her right now, or two, not tell her now and not tell her ever, because she might not even need to know. The problem with option one is that it means he chooses Hyerim (and something tells him he might change his mind later) and the problem with option two is that he chooses Mingyu.

"Hyerim," he says suddenly, and both pairs of eyes turn to him. "I..." Even from a short distance, he can see the pain in Mingyu's eyes.

"I think I'm gonna go home with Mingyu," he finally breathes out. "See you tomorow, yeah?"

She nods, and when Wonwoo looks up, he offers Mingyu a smile.


	10. Chapter 10

Mingyu trails a few steps behind his hyung, an ice cream hanging from his mouth. To be honest, autumn has already been around for a while, so it's not really a hot day, but they both need some kind of excuse to not be talking.

Suddenly, Wonwoo stops and turns around, "do you wanna come round?" He asks awkwardly, and not really as a question, but more like a statement. Honestly, he's still trying to process the decision he just made. What now? Does he tell Mingyu he thinks he might properly like him back? Do they start dating? Do they tell their friends? Is he gay now? Or bisexual? Or is Mingyu just one exception? All these questions, and he can't answer a single one.

"Y-Yeah," the younger nods lamely.

Of all the times Mingyu has walked into the now all too familiar building, it has never felt as strange as it does now. He watches as Wonwoo slips out of his shoes, and he does the same, placing them neatly on the side whereas the older just kicks them away.

"Hi mum," he greets plainly, and a woman with long brown hair and a cheerful smile emerges from the kitchen. Mingyu had never really noticed, but she looks a lot like Wonwoo (apart from the part where sunshine seems to radiate from her presence, whereas Wonwoo is always gloomy).

"Wonwoo, you're home! Oh, and Mingyu, you're here again today? Is Wonwoo trying to do some extra studying?"

Mingyu grins awkwardly, "actually, I'm here as a friend today. We're just hanging out," he explains, while his mind says something entirely different: 'hi I'm in love with your son, is that okay?'

She smiles, her eye crinkling, "oh that's nice! Well, I won't bother you two anymore, just don't start turning your actual tutoring sessions into hanging out as well." Mingyu nods and promises her that it wouldn't happen.

"You should come over to my place sometime," Mingyu suggests at the two of them make their way to Wonwoo's room. "It's always me who's coming over."

Wonwoo mutters back a 'sure' as they reach his bedroom. He sets himself down on the floor against the bed, but watches as Mingyu launches onto his bed, taking a pillow around his arms, grinning. "What are you doing?"

"Hyung~ You haven't confessed to Hyerim have you?"

Wonwoo swears he can see stars in Mingyu's eyes, twinkling so bright he can't look into them any longer. "N-No, I haven't," he mumbles, shifting his eyes away.

"Why?" Mingyu urges him on, a good feeling rising inside of him.

"B-Because," _gosh, this is so hard to say_ , "I just..." He turns around and lifts his head to look at Mingyu again, their eyes instantly meeting. Mingyu is lying across his bed, his whole body stretched across like a pole, his face dangling from the side.

Unable to find his words, Wonwoo gulps and then simply leans up to peck him on the lips. Even though it lasts less than a millisecond, Mingyu's lips stretch all the way across his face, and he feels dizzy from blushing. "Do that again," he whispers almost inaudibly.

Normally, Wonwoo would have refused and pretended that he had no idea what Mingyu was on about, but this time he just complies silently. With his right hand cupping Mingyu's cheek, he tilts his head up and catches Mingyu's soft lips with his. Inching nearer, his mouth delves deeper and his lips grow more passionate.

Mingyu slowly pulls away, "you seriously can't resist being rough, can you?" He teases shyly, pressing his lips together and savouring the sweetness.

The older groans, "ugh, I kiss you and you're actually going to complain?"

"I-" Mingyu resists the urge to laugh at his hyung, "so why did you kiss me?"

Wonwoo's eyes are wide open in disbelief, "are you serious?" Watching the amused look grow brighter on Mingyu's face, he rolls his eyes, "you already know. Obviously."

"I wanna hear you say it," he pokes him playfully.

Shuffling uncomfortably, Wonwoo sits up straight with his legs crossed and hands in between his lap, twiddling his fingers. "Well, I don't have any like flowers or anything... But all you need for a love confession is words, right?"

Mingyu nods frantically, his heart getting closer and closer to jumping out of his chest. "I guess I realised that there's a reason I got jealous over you and Jun, and not really Hyerim. I mean, you're so-" He pauses to look up at Mingyu, "you're so- you're so ridiculous..."

"Ridiculously handsome," Mingyu finishes for him, and he hears the sound of Wonwoo scoffing.

"Yeah, sure, but I mean I just can't believe someone like you exists, you know?"

The brown haired boy looks confused, "um, no, I don't know."

Wonwoo can feel his blush setting his cheeks on fire, "I can't believe how sharp your canines are, how bright your smile is, how the hell you manage to have sparkly eyes. I can't believe how tall you are, how you said you started noticing me since two years ago. I can't believe you pinned me against the wall after our third biology lesson, I can't believe you're my maths tutor and I can't believe you held my hand in the corridor that one time... Not to mention you kissed me," he mumbles quietly after.

"Also I can't believe what you did with Wen freaking Junhui, you're seriously crazy." He adds, a hint of jealousy simmering in his voice.

Mingyu snorts, "and I can't believe you made out with me in front of half the school." Wonwoo slaps him on the arm playfully, scowling.

"Geez, I'm sorry..."

Wonwoo's voice lowers, "um, can we not say anything about us to anyone yet..?"

"Us?" Mingyu pretends to be confused.

"Yeah, like me being your boyfriend... Let's just pretend that nothing's happened and we're still, you know, just friends." His voice gets more and more wobbly as he talks, and he's no longer looking into Mingyu's eyes.

"Who said you're my boyfriend?" A look of horror flashes across Wonwoo's face, before the sound of Mingyu cracking up pulls him into realisation. "I'm just joking! Oh, you're so cute," Mingyu teases, ruffling his boyfriend's hair.

"A-And you're mean!"

Mingyu's canines protrude from his mouth as he offers his signature grin, "you've been meaner. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this." He takes Wonwoo's right hand into his left and interlocks their fingers, pressing a soft kiss onto the top of Wonwoo's hand, his lips barely grazing his knuckles. "And of course we can wait till you're ready to tell people."

Wonwoo's blushing furiously, and he regrets not realising his feelings earlier. Mingyu is such a good boyfriend, what took him so long to realise?

"Um, what do we do now?" He asks awkwardly, moving to sit on the bed with Mingyu.

The younger boy pats his lap, "put your head here, I wanna play with your hair."

"Oh, wow."

 

 

The next day, Wonwoo feels giddy walking into school, knowing that when he sees Mingyu, it'll be completely different from all the other times.

"Mind telling me what's got you smiling like an idiot?" He turns to see Seungcheol walking up to him, locker key spinning around his index finger. Wonwoo only grins harder, but fights the urge to announce his good news.

After all, talking about sexuality is a lot more difficult than simply admitting you like someone. "Nothing, just feeling good this morning."

"There's definitely something up," Jisoo pops up on his right side, "I've never seen you this cheerful." Oh, how he wants to let everything fall from his mouth: 'KIM MINGYU IS MY BOYFRIEND AND HE'S PERFECT AND WE'RE IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER'. But he can only imagine the awkwardness that would follow. So he doesn't.

As they reach the end of the corridor, they recognise a familiar group of three guys standing by the stairs. "Oh, Seungcheol hyung!" Chan calls, and two other heads whip around. One begins smiling and waving, but compared to the other, he looks like he's suffering from depression. Because the third boy is grinning so widely, his features looks unproportionate (yet still handsome). What's more, his blushing face is peeking from above the other two, because he's just so damn tall. Who is he? None other than Wonwoo's official boyfriend since yesterday, Kim Mingyu.

"Wonwoo hyung!" He calls out, his smile holding a lot more than it usually does. The older boy tries his best to put on a straight face, and simply nods at the younger in acknowledgement.

Seungcheol tuts, shaking his head, "when will Mingyu's love be returned? Oh, Wonwoo you're so cruel," he teases dramatically, and Mingyu tries not to burst out into laughter.

"What are you talking about, seriously..."

Seokmin joins in, "deny all you want but after Seungcheol hyung's party you don't seriously still believe you're not into Mingyu, right?"

Wonwoo is about to come up with some shitty lame-ass excuse when a loud, excited voice interrupts the six of them, "who's excited for my sleepover?!" Seungkwan cheers, wrapping an arm around Joshua and another around Chan.

"Ugh, it's this time of year again?" Wonwoo groans, secretly relieved that Seungkwan changed the topic for him.

Chan looks confused, "why do you hate parties?"

"I don't. I just hate _Seungkwan's sleepovers_ and how excited he gets for them."

Seungkwan rolls his eyes, "you know you love them. And this year we have six more people! Also, I'm banning you from alcohol." He gives Wonwoo a stern look, who stares back, as if to say, 'are you crazy?'

"I do not want to see what I saw _that_ night again."

Mingyu is smiling with wide gleaming eyes, clearly amused, "I want to," he whispers, receiving a disturbed few looks.

"You, my friend, have reached a new level of creepy." Seungcheol states bluntly, pointing at him, "I don't think this is helping you get Wonwoo to be honest. Just saying."

Both Wonwoo and Mingyu are already so frustrated yet mildly entertained by their oblivious friends, and it feels like anything they say will give them away, so all they do is keep quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soft kisses lol weird


	11. Chapter 11

Wonwoo stands waiting outside an apartment door, staring at the number 1702 imprinted on the posh silver plate. Honestly, he hadn't expected Mingyu to live in a place like this. Unlike his plain and ordinary house, Mingyu's place has turned out to be a fifty-two story high apartment (Wonwoo's first instinct was to count the floors, but then he realised there were elevator buttons.) with people wearing actual uniforms at the front desk.

He's actually kind of surprised they didn't ask him for ID or something when he came in; this place sure looks expensive enough to be doing that kind of thing.

The sound of the door clicking open snaps Wonwoo out of his thoughts, "hey hyung! Come in," Mingyu greets him with his signature canines-poking-out smile, and the older internally cringes when he realises that despite seeing it for the thousandth time, it still succeeds in making his heart flip over.

"So, I didn't know you were rich," Wonwoo comments, as his eyes pan around the open space, skimming over the unusually clean kitchen (probably because no one uses it), stylish tall lamps, and one of those long sofas he'd only ever seen through a television screen.

Mingyu grins shyly, "I'm not rich." It feels kind of good to impress his hyung, because for him, it's always been the other way round. He loves the way Wonwoo looks so good in beanies, the way he's just slightly shorter than him, and the way his eyes always look tired and sexy. The way his nose scrunches when he laughs, the way he holds a pencil, and now Mingyu is just being completely ridiculous, but he doesn't care.

"Right..." Wonwoo mutters, dragging the end of the word as he sets himself down on the sofa. "Sorry I'm a little early by the way," he adds, glancing at the digital clock and slumping into the cushy material. "What were you doing?"

"Watching gay porn."

"What?!" The older sits straight back up, shocked.

Mingyu bursts into laughter, "I'm joking, calm down."

"O-Oh," he clears his throat, "so are we gonna start studying?" The two of them had decided to start doing tutoring sessions at Mingyu's place, because of a certain incident at Wonwoo's the week before...

 

_"So, here you have to differentiate this to get the second derivative, and then..." Wonwoo stops listening as his focus drops out of maths and into admiring the perfection that is Kim Mingyu._

_They're sitting on the floor of Wonwoo's room, awfully close in fact, way too close for what should be a tutoring session. Wonwoo can't concentrate at all. He stares up into Mingyu's eyes, waiting for him to notice that he's not really interested in studying anymore._

_"From here, you can find the maximum and the minimum..." Clearly, the younger is too concentrated with maths to notice his boyfriend's need for attention._

_Wonwoo sits closer, but Mingyu only mistakes this as interest in the work he's explaining. Frustrated, Wonwoo speaks up, "stop. Mingyu, stop." The said boy turns to him, eyes wide with confusion._

_"Huh?"_

_The innocent way Mingyu seems to be questioning him makes Wonwoo gulp, "um..." He hesitates, "I don't really wanna-"_

_"Oh." Is all Mingyu says, and Wonwoo runs a hand through his own hair in frustration._

_"Okay, just-" He slides a hand around the back of Mingyu's neck and brings his head forward, so that their noses are pressed gently against eachother, their lips only inches apart. Deep lazy eyes meet twinkling caramel ones, and Wonwoo doesn't waste another second before letting their lips meet._

_Mingyu's eyes flutter shut and and his hand grips the side of the bed for support, as Wonwoo becomes more aggressive, pushing him down further towards the carpeted floor._

_Suddenly, there's a knock on the door, and the two detach themselves immediately, sitting up._

_Wonwoo's mother enters with a kind smile, "I just wanted to check that everything was okay." She says, completely oblivious to the situation. Before either of them can reply, she speaks up again. "Oh, is it too hot? Both of you look quite red."_

_"Um, no, we're- actually, yeah. We're... feeling kind of warm, I guess." Wonwoo's words come out in a rush, and he tries his best to hide his blushing._

 

"Well, I was thinking we could skip that stuff... just for today? Since it's your first time coming round?" Mingyu tries to suggest casually, and the older nods in agreement. "You wanna watch a movie?"

Wonwoo shrugs, "sure, whatever you want."

Except they don't watch a movie, because less than twenty minutes later, Wonwoo is sitting cross-legged in front of the sofa with Mingyu positioned on top of him, legs wrapped around his waist. Mingyu's lips are attached to Wonwoo's neck and he kisses gently at first, leaving ticklish sensations all over. Gradually, he scrapes his teeth across Wonwoo's soft skin, inching towards his adam's apple.

Both of Wonwoo's palms are burning flat against the hard cold floor and his eyes are shut tight. "You really like neck kisses, huh..." He breathes out in a whisper as he remembers the first time Mingyu made a move on him.

"Hmm," the way he hums makes Wonwoo feel soft vibrations through his throat, and he gulps. "Yeah, I do," he smiles while making more marks on his boyfriend's skin. "I also like receiving them." He breaks away gently, and the older opens his eyes.

"Oh. I should-" He lets out a deep breath, "I should-" Wonwoo is about to shut up and just return the favour, when the sound of the front door clicking open startles the both of them.

Mingyu stretches his head out, "dad? You're home early." Hearing this, the black haired boy panics, and pushes Mingyu suddenly, causing him to slide off his lap and land awkwardly in front of him just as Mr Kim walks in.

"Yeah, I just need some sleep," he offers a tired smile to the both of them. "You must be Wonwoo," the man sets down his briefcase and walks over to greet him properly.

Wonwoo stares just slightly, "uhm. Yeah, I am." His eyes run from the exhausted yet kind face down to the extended hand, and he shakes it firmly, standing up. "It's nice to meet you, Mr Kim." He adds quickly, even though what he really wants to say is: 'hi so did you see your son sitting on my lap or... not?' Because he's not really sure whether he should be playing the role of: fresh out the closet boyfriend, or the one hundred percent straight friend who happens to need help with maths.

"Well I'm gonna wash up and have an early night. You boys carry on with whatever you were doing." The man sighs in exhaustion as he walks away, disappearing into the bathroom.

"Uh, did he see-"

Mingyu shrugs, "I don't know. Probably not. Not like he'd care anyway though." Wonwoo gives him a look of confusion. "I already told him you're my boyfriend- I mean, I know I should've asked you, but he's my dad, and whenever I promise to keep secrets I actually mean I'm going to tell no one apart from my dad. He doesn't listen to most things anyway, I think he sleeps even when he's not sleeping." He looks into Wonwoo's eyes, "I'm sorry I told-"

"No, it's okay. It's just your dad." He pauses as Mingyu shuffles towards him, so that they're sitting side by side. "I'm just surprised... How well he takes it. My mum would never..." He whispers the last part, but Mingyu catches it anyway.

He puts an arm around Wonwoo's shoulder. "Everything will work out okay, I promise." The older also turns to face him and nods weakly. "Also, my mum's actually gay and after the divorce they stayed friends, so I think my dad's just cool with this stuff."

"Huh?! Wait, what?" Wonwoo pulls back in surprise, "are you serious? Wait, no way. That's so..." Mingyu raises an eyebrow, "...unbelievable."

"Welcome to my life." He laughs. "Everything's fine, my dad has a girlfriend and we're all friends. It's not as dramatic as it sounds. Sometimes I think my dad might've known before she came out." Mingyu trails into his own thoughts, and Wonwoo smiles uneasily when he remembers his own situation.

Snapping away from his mind, Mingyu comforts Wonwoo, "don't worry," and the mild look of terror seems to dissolve away.

 

 

Wonwoo sits his chin on his crossed arms as he sits forward boredly in maths class. Since he has a tutor now, he doesn't even need to pay attention in lessons. At least, that's what he thinks, even though somewhere in the back of his mind he knows it's flawed logic.

He doesn't even notice when Hyerim walks in late, looking slightly distressed.

"Jeon Wonwoo." The teacher calls, and he isn't even surprised since it's so obvious that he's not paying any attention. "Which of these two co-ordinates is the maximum?"

He sits up slowly, pressing his lips together and staring at the black board. "uhh," he tries his best to go back to what Mingyu said the other week. Nope, not working. All he remembers is the taste of his boyfriend's lips and the way his irresistible touch feels against his own skin- and now he's spacing out. "that one?" He vaguely points to the co-ordinate on the right.

The teacher folds his arms together, "okay, why?"

"Be... cause..." He tries his hardest to gather what he caught from Mingyu when he was actually listening and not staring, "when you substitute the x co-ordinate in, the result is... negative?" Wonwoo finishes, slightly unsure.

He can see the smugness fall from his teacher's face who nods, slightly surprised. "Well done."

As the lesson ends, Wonwoo rushes out, embarrassingly desperate to see his boyfriend again. "Wonwoo oppa!" Hyerim's voice stops him, and he turns to see her slightly limping towards him.

"Hyerim? What's wrong?" He furrows his eyebrows at her legs.

She shrugs, still walking over, "I tripped over as I was coming to class. I'm fine."

"Oh," he nods, slowing down his pace so that they could walk together. Hyerim begins to complain about how boring maths class was, but Wonwoo finds himself losing interest, especially when he spots Mingyu's face poking in a crowd at the end of the corridor.

"Hey, are you listening?"

Wonwoo doesn't even glance at her, "um. Yeah... I need to go," he starts to squish through the masses of people to get to his boyfriend.

As he nears Mingyu, who's with Jun and Soonyoung, he hears pieces of their conversation.

"Wait, who told you he's coming back?" Mingyu's voice comes out panicked, and Wonwoo notices that the other two don't look completely comfortable either.

Soonyoung sighs, "I just heard it from other people. It might not be true."

"But it probably is," Jun adds.

"What's wrong?" Wonwoo finally breaks through, and the trio turn to him, alarmed.

Mingyu breaks into a smile, "nothing! Let's go, hyung." But Wonwoo can't shake off the uneasy feeling inside him.


	12. Chapter 12

Wonwoo sits in the corner of Seungkwan's overly decorated bedroom, his tired eyes only focused on one thing: the bottles of alcohol piled temptingly on the other side of the room.

"I can't believe you're actually not going to let me have a drink." It's been three hours into the party, and he had thought they would've given in or at least forgotten by now. Heavy, rhythmic beats are drumming through his ears, but it just doesn't feel right without the sensation of being drunk.

Seungcheol, who has his arm around Seungkwan's shoulder, shakes his head. "It's for your own good, Wonwoo. You don't want to wake up tomorrow filled with regret and awkwardness now, do you? Like last time."

He rolls his eyes in disbelief, and catches Mingyu's look of amusement from across the room. "Whatever."

Boo Seungkwan actually has an unrealistically large bedroom; it gives off the same vibes as a five year old girl who still believes she's a princess would, and this for some reason, has never surprised Wonwoo. He rubs his feet across the warm carpeted floor, bored because Mingyu is chatting with Soonyoung, and he's too grumpy himself to start conversation with his own friends.

"Hey," Jun slides over in one swift motion, and he's suddenly way too close for Wonwoo to handle.

A flashback to Seungcheol's house party runs through Wonwoo's mind immediately, and he unconsciously frowns. A laugh from his left side brings him back to the present, and when he looks over, Jun is holding a beer bottle to him.

"Peace offering?" He smiles, eyes shimmering. Wonwoo begins to wonder if they've always been this captivating, or if he's somehow doing it on purpose. Honestly, Wen Junhui is a mystery.

"Huh?" Is all that comes out of Wonwoo's mouth, half confused, and half in a daze.

Jun grins wider, never breaking off eye contact, "an apology for that time at Seungcheol hyung's party." Wonwoo nods slightly, then freaks out, because Jun's not supposed to apologise if Wonwoo doesn't like Mingyu.

"That- It's fine, I don't know why you're apologising." He lies awkwardly, and takes a few gulps of alcohol.

"Seriously? It's obvious you got jealous." Wonwoo begins to try explaining again, but Jun cuts him off. "Don't worry though. You may have feelings for Mingyu, but I don't. It was just for fun, just to get you jealous."

"Wait, really?"

Jun laughs, his voice surrounding Wonwoo's ears and overshadowing the music, "Yup." The black haired boy can't help but feel shivers run down his back from their proximity, and he mentally slaps himself multiple times.

"You don't find Mingyu attractive?" And he knows by saying this, he's just half admitted to liking the said boy.

"Oh, he is." Jun admits, "but to be completely honest, you're way hotter." Wonwoo doesn't know if he heard wrong, but Jun's voice just came out slightly lower than it usually does. Or maybe he's imagining things.

It's impossible to pretend that he's not feeling flattered over the comment, and he looks up to meet Jun's burning eyes. _God, this guy is flirtatious as fuck._ For the first time, he notices the way Jun's messy brown hair brushes over his eyes, the way his smile seems to be teasing him, and the way his lips seem to be hiding secrets, ones that are waiting to be revealed, waiting to be kissed.

 _Oh, god. Since when did I like guys so much? More importantly, how did it take me eighteen years to figure it out?_ He licks his lips and turns away abruptly, taking another gulp from his drink.

Wonwoo knows, he just knows that Jun is completely aware of his effect on him, and that makes him blush, hard. He's glad it's so dark in the room, because then he can at least pretend he doesn't look red.

When he glances up, he sees Mingyu pouting at him, and he breaks out into a natural smile, rolling his eyes at the younger boy. He narrows his eyes playfully in return, and turns back to Soonyoung and Jihoon.

Wonwoo also becomes aware of the fact that Jun's still sitting next to him, his legs stretched out and touching the side of his own. It's slightly thrilling, yet at the same time comfortable. The silence between the two of them is relaxing, and he doesn't know if he likes it or not.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?"

Jun turns to him, his body language open and inviting and Wonwoo suddenly wants to run away. "Um, do you also... like guys?"

"Yeah, I'm bi." He answers casually, his eyes suddenly glowing in interest as to why Wonwoo would ask him that, but the younger doesn't say anything else. Something sparks in Wonwoo's heart, and he quickly realises it's admiration. He wishes he could say it like that too. Easily, comfortably, he should also say those words.

"Why?" Wonwoo doesn't know what to say to this, and Jun can sense it. "That's okay, you don't have to answer," he adds after a moment, though the reasons are apparent.

"Thanks," Wonwoo blurts out before he can stop himself, and Jun is surprised but doesn't question it.

 

 

Time flies, and Wonwoo finds himself lying awake in darkness on the floor under layers of blankets amongst piles of snoring teenage boys. He sighs audibly, and rolls over to his right to face Jisoo's back.

"Wonwoo hyung?" He almost thinks he imagined the voice, but when he looks up, Mingyu's standing there in his grey shirt and boxers with a grin stretching across his face.

Before he can even say anything, Mingyu's tucks himself into his blanket, and wraps his arms around Wonwoo's warm torso. "I missed you," he whispers against his back. Wonwoo gulps, and turns to face him.

"Me too," he breathes out, and their eyes meet, illuminated under the moonlight. Wonwoo slips his arm under Mingyu, bringing him closer to his chest. The younger squeezes his eyes shut and smiles, enjoying the embrace. Their bare feet brush gently against each other under the blankets, and Mingyu feels like his heart is going to burst.

"I can hear your heart beating really fast," Mingyu teases with a whisper, his voice tickling Wonwoo's sternum.

The older's mouth drops open, "Wow. Seriously? That's just how my heart beats normally."

Mingyu laughs, "sure it is."

"It really is though."

"It's speeding up."

"Shut-" Wonwoo doesn't finish, because the younger has somehow managed to clamber on top of him, and he feels Mingyu's hands pressing hard against his own shoulders. "W-What are you doing?" He whispers, electricity coursing through his whole body like cold liquid.

Mingyu shifts himself to a more comfortable position, and the older stifles a moan from the contact. "Hey," he grins down at Wonwoo, who's blushing hard.

"Don't be a tease," Wonwoo growls.

As expected, Mingyu doesn't listen. Instead, he dives down to nip at his collar bones, causing Wonwoo to suddenly bring his legs up, struggling to stomach the sensations calmly. "Stay still," Mingyu's lips draw patterns on his skin, while a hand travels up to rake through Wonwoo's hair.

"Hey, seriously." Wonwoo chokes out, "what if the others wake up or something?"

"They won't," Mingyu murmurs, biting harder in frustration.

"Ah- hey!" Hands gripping at the floor, Wonwoo peeks to see if anyone might be awake. Luckily, Jisoo's a deep sleeper and the others seem to be too. "Mingyu, seriously..."

Rolling his eyes impatiently, Mingyu breaks away and immediately silences Wonwoo with his own lips. The kiss is teasing and passionate, with Mingyu pulling and sucking on his hyung's lower lip.

A hand slips under Mingyu's shirt and travels through his torso to his neck, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss.

"Oh." The sound makes both of them jerk away, immediately searching for the source of the voice. "Guys, there's a spare room next door if you wanna use that," Jun says blankly, clearly dead serious.

"J-jun hyung!" Mingyu stutters, as the couple stare at the sleepy brown haired boy towering above them. "What are you doing up right now?"

"Grabbing some water." His blank face turns mischevious, "so... you two, huh? How long have you been fooling us?" Water has clearly dropped in his priorities, as he goes to lean against Seungkwan's wardrobe.

"Not that long..." Wonwoo answers, still awkward about the situation. Somehow, he's glad it was Jun who caught them and not anyone else. "Please don't tell anyone," he adds in a quiet mutter.

"Sure. I'll keep your secret, but only if you guys do something for me."

"What?" Mingyu asks, slightly wary.

He smirks, then points to his lips, tapping it a few times. "It takes a kiss or two to seal this up, you know."

The couple scoff together, "in your dreams," Wonwoo laughs, trusting Jun to keep his secret in exchange for nothing.

 

When Wonwoo walks into school the next morning, the corridors are alive with gossip. He can hear whispers about a new student, and he offers his full attention to a group of girls nearby.

"I heard he's tall and really handsome!" One giggles, and the other two squeal in excitement. 

Another pipes in, "apparently he came from America!"

"Oh, I heard he used to go school here though! About three years ago, before he moved away."

Wonwoo walks off, amused and curious.

"Hey hyung," Minghao is the first to spot him as he approaches the group. 

"Hey, you guys heard about the new kid? Everyone's going crazy about it." He glances at his boyfriend and notices the anxious look on his face. 

Soonyoung grimaces, "um yeah, actually we know him."

"That would explain why Mingyu looks like he's swallowed a lemon," Hansol laughs.

"Who is he?" Wonwoo asks, impatient.

Mingyu looks up, "he's..."

"Mingyu's ex boyfriend," Jun finishes for him, and gives Wonwoo a look that says, 'what are you gonna do now?'


	13. Chapter 13

Wonwoo stares up at the front of the biology lab with gritted teeth, _really? Seriously?_

"Nice to meet you guys, I'm Kim Taehyung!" The purple haired kid does an energetic bow, and then makes his way to his seat, which thankfully, is very far away from himself and Mingyu. Of all lessons, he just has to be in Wonwoo's biology, aka his supposed alone time with Mingyu.

"Stop sulking," Mingyu teases quietly, amused by the way his boyfriend is so disturbed and agitated by the appearance of Kim Taehyung.

Wonwoo turns to him, eyeing the new guy at the same time, "does it look like I'm sulking?"

"Uhm, yes. Very much, actually." Mingyu can't help but feel satisfaction from a jealous Wonwoo, even though he's supressing his worries about what Taehyung's doing back in Korea, or more specifically, back in his own life. Things didn't exactly... end with Taehyung. They just sort of lost contact over the years.

"He's been staring at you this whole freaking time, Mingyu. It's like he's got pixelated hearts etched in his eyes, it's gross." Wonwoo speaks into his sleeve, as he sits his chin on his palm. "What are you going to say if he wants to get back together?"

Mingyu gives him a calm smile, "you don't know if he wants that." Even though he's pretty sure he does (but Wonwoo doesn't need to know that... _yet_ ).

"He's literally waiting for you to turn around and notice him!" Wonwoo's voice grows dangerously louder, "he stared into your eyes the whole time he was introducing himself to the class!"

"Technically, we're old friends, so he's probably just comfortable looking at a face he recognises."

Wonwoo rolls his eyes in irritation, "oh yeah? Well let's see if he eye fucks Jun or the other guys at break then, huh?"

"Are you seriously getting angry? Wow, the last time that happened, I ended up with bruised lips. Keep being angry, hyung." This comment manages to bring an embarrassed smile to Wonwoo's lips.

"I'm not gonna make out with you in biology class, Mingyu. Or anywhere in public. You know why..." He trails off, and Mingyu simply nods. "But," he adds, and the younger turns to him expectantly.

Wonwoo reaches for Mingyu's left hand under their desk, entwining their fingers. The loving warmth brings an uncontrollable grin to Mingyu's face, who can only look down at the table to avoid anyone catching him making such a face. "We can do this," he whispers.

"Now neither of us can write, hyung."

"That's your fault for being left handed."

Mingyu's mouth drops open, "you're unbelievable."

"And you're unbelievably crazy for me," Wonwoo smirks, using his thumb to rub circles on top of Mingyu's hand.

There's a pause, and then a quiet scoff. "Yeah, I am." His voice drops into a quiet sigh, "I love you." The words escape before he allows them to, and they sit, being binded in the most thrilling tension.

Moments pass, and Wonwoo still hasn't said anything back. It becomes apparent that he's not going to, but the grip on Mingyu's hand tightens just a little; it's warm and assuring. And it's all that Mingyu needs for now.

 

 

Fortunately, Taehyung is called to stay behind so the teacher can make sure he is okay with everything, and the couple use the chance to escape while he's occupied.

"Hey guys," Jisoo gives them his eye smile as they approach the rest of the group hanging by the hallways.

Chan turns around, "so have you seen Taehyung hyung yet?" The others look at Mingyu expectantly.

"Actually, he's in our biology," Wonwoo cuts in, grumbling.

"Why are you so annoyed?" Soonyoung questions, crumpling up his juice carton and chucking it into the bin on the other side of the corridor with perfect aim. "You don't like him?"

Wonwoo mentally applauds himself sarcastically, "um. I'm not annoyed, just kind of tired." He catches an amused smirk on Jun's face, but casually brushes it off, looking away.

"Mingyu-ah!" The voice resounds through the building like a siren in Wonwoo's ears, and all thirteen of them turn to find a purple haired boy sauntering towards them, hands sitting in his pockets, confidence dripping from every pore of his body. A grin is permanently adorning his face, and his footsteps are the countdown to a catastrophe Wonwoo can't afford to let happen.

"Soonyoung, Minghao, Jun, Chan, Seokmin. I've missed you guys," he greets, eyes running through everyone, "especially you," his attention lands on Mingyu, who manages a tiny smile.

Taehyung places an arm around Mingyu, and Wonwoo visibly frowns, seeing how his boyfriend just lets the guy do what he wants. Jun studies the whole situation in amusement, feeling particularly entertained by Wonwoo's reactions.

"So who are the new guys?" Wonwoo can't help but notice that Taehyung's voice is rather deep, like his own, and this pisses him off even more.

"I'm Seungkwan!" He jumps in, "and this is Seungcheol, Jisoo, Jeonghan, Hansol, Jihoon, and Wonwoo." Seungkwan gestures to each of them as he does the introductions, and the boys all nod in acknowledgement at Taehyung, even Wonwoo.

Taehyung laughs, "wow, the group's gotten so much bigger. I'm Kim Taehyung!" He cheerfully announces.

"Apparently you're Mingyu's ex boyfriend," Seungcheol asks, and some of the others face palm.

"Haha, yeah," he runs a hand through his hair, "we only broke up because I had to leave for America though... Actually, we didn't officially break up, we just kind of lost contact over the years. But now that I'm back..." He turns to Mingyu, a hopeful look sparkling in his eyes.

Mingyu quickly interrupts, "um. Hyung, actually- actually, I like someone else now." He blurts out almost without thinking. Taehyung stops beaming immediately. "A lot of things have changed, hyung." He wriggles out of Taehyung's hold, letting his arm fall from his shoulders.

"Who?"

Wonwoo stops staring at the floor and meets Mingyu's eyes, unsure of what he's going to say, or what he even wants him to say. "That's- That's a secret." A silent sigh of relief escapes his lips.

"Hardly," Jihoon rolls his eyes, and Taehyung seems irritated.

Mingyu tugs at Taehyung's arm, "let's go talk somewhere else." He reluctantly leaves with Mingyu, and Wonwoo watches with jealousy as they walk off together.

 

 

"You okay?" Jun's voice interrupts Wonwoo, who's sitting miserably on a bench outside. 

"No," he mumbles. Jun sits down next to him.

"What's wrong?" He asks, leaning back. Wonwoo sits up, grateful that he feels comfortable with Jun.

He sighs, "I just- it always seems like there's something getting in the way of me and Mingyu. First it was me being stupid, now it's some purple haired guy."

Jun doesn't say anything and just lets him vent his frustrations. "I know Mingyu is adorable, but why does it seem like the whole world is in love with him? First it was Hyerim, then even you, now this Taehyung guy..." He kicks the floor in frustration. 

The older boy laughs, "just to clarify again, I don't have any actual feelings towards Mingyu, okay?"

"Yeah, okay but the whole world wants to pounce on him." Wonwoo mumbles quietly. 

"If it makes you feel any better, you should know that I would totally make out with you if you let me."

"H-How is that supposed to make me feel better?!" Wonwoo splutters in disbelief, meeting Jun's eyes. 

"I don't know. Loads of people like Mingyu, I'm just saying that a lot of people like you too."

Wonwoo raises an eyebrow, "and that includes you?"

"Yeah, I guess." The younger looks bewildered. "Don't give me that face, I'm not saying I'm desperately in love with you, gosh. I don't pine for you at night, my heart doesn't _bleed_ for you, jeez."

Wonwoo lets out a laugh, "are you always like this?"

"Like what?"

"A major flirt."

Jun chuckles, "you think this is flirting?" He leans in closer, so close that they can hear the sound of eachother's steady breathing.

"If telling someone that you wanna make out with them isn't considered flirting, then I don't know what is." Wonwoo says flatly, trying to seem unfazed by how close Jun is getting. 

"Then I guess I'll just have to show you." Their faces are inches apart, and Wonwoo is weirdly attracted to Jun's scent: cookies and firewood. What kind of guy smells like that? Does he bathe in cookie dough?

Wonwoo gulps when he feels their noses brush together. "You're seriously hot, Jeon Wonwoo." Jun breathes out in a whisper, the refreshing scent of mint enticing the younger boy. Their eyes are locked in a heated stare, and neither of them can or want to look away. He's almost tempted to close the gap between their lips, but he can't. Of course he can't.

"Hey isn't that Jun?" The pair whip their heads round at the voice to see Mingyu and Taehyung. "You two huh? Cute." Taehyung comments, and Jun laughs awkwardly. 

"Nope. This guy's not into me. Sadly." He quickly says, and Wonwoo nods stiffly. 

He's frozen, because the Kim Mingyu standing in front of him is seething, The dangerous aura he's emitting is almost tangible, and Wonwoo swears he's never seen the boy this angry before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh yeah I forgot to say there's gonna be a junhao spinoff so im glad there's comments saying you guys love jun ^^  
> idk what you feel after this though...  
> don't worry though I promise


	14. Chapter 14

"Wait, Mingyu, wait!" Wonwoo is dashing down a corridor to chase after his boyfriend, out of breath and desperate to catch up. "I said wait!" His fingers catch Mingyu's pulsating wrist and pull him around with full force, so hard that he stumbles on his own steps.

Mingyu's face is cold and hard like stone, but his eyes are a blazing fire. "What?"

Luckily, there's no one else around, and Wonwoo slides his hand from Mingyu's wrist into his hand, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," are the only words he can blurt out as he tries to catch his breath. "Don't be mad, please."

"How can I not be mad?" The taller harshly whips his hand out of Wonwoo's grip. A pause hangs in the air, before Mingyu breaks it again, "I- Wonwoo, I might seem like the type of guy who can say things like 'I love you' really easily, but I meant it, you know? And you didn't even say it back and instead you-" His voice is running so fast that he has to pause to make sure he won't choke on his own words. "I- I can't believe you."

Realising how close their faces are, Wonwoo stares for a moment, unsure of what to say or do, and then lets his eyes flicker down to Mingyu's lips. Mingyu catches the look in Wonwoo's eyes and abruptly takes a step back.

"Don't even try."

Pain is evident in his eyes, and Wonwoo gulps, feeling a heavy weight inside his chest: guilt. "I'm sorry," he utters, this time quieter.

"Then prove it." Mingyu glares at him, a challenging look hiding the torment raging inside of him.

"How?! What more can I-" His voice is eaten up as he comes to a realisation.

"Tell them." At this moment, Wonwoo swears the younger boy is fighting back tears, "tell everyone about us!" He yells, and it breaks Wonwoo's heart to see him so distraught. But the worst part is that he realises Mingyu's finally run out of patience. And he's still not ready.

Forcing his voice out, he barely manages a whisper, "I can't." Wonwoo doesn't even have the guts to look into Mingyu's eyes, "you know I can't."

"Then we're done." The words leave his mouth before they even run through his head, but somehow, it feels right. Mingyu turns and walks away, each step slow and heavy as he makes his way down the corridor. Wonwoo doesn't stop him.

 

 

 _Why didn't I stop him?_ Wonwoo wants to punch himself in the face as he sits miserably at a table in the school cafe. Jisoo, Jeonghan, Soonyoung, and Chan are already sitting with him, as it's getting too cold to have their lunch outside.

 _It's cause I was too shocked, damn it. I should talk to him, fuck, I need to talk to Jun too. But Mingyu first-_ His thoughts crash to a stop, because at that exact moment, Mingyu walks over with Kim freaking Taehyung next to him.

Okay, wow. He's definitely doing that on purpose. "Hey guys," Soonyoung greets with his mouth full of rice as he waves a metal spoon at the pair. "You two been catching up?"

"Yup," Mingyu plops himself down next to the blonde, and Taehyung takes the seat opposite, which happens to be next to Wonwoo. How annoying. "We've both missed each other a lot," he continues, no sign of distress on his face.

Wonwoo scowls and takes a gulp of his drink.

"Are you guys getting back together?" Chan asks innocently, and Taehyung laughs, but Wonwoo cuts him off before he can reply.

"I gotta go," he says, getting up abruptly, "I need to find Jun," he spits the last part like venom, and gives Mingyu a cold look before he turns to go. Wonwoo regrets it the moment he's out the door of the cafe. Mingyu's the one who's supposed to be angry, but Wonwoo can't help but get mad too, and he's frustrated with himself for that.

Also, there's no way in hell he's actually going to find Jun.

 

 

As it turns out, he doesn't need to anyway. Because Jun finds him.

"Hey, man..." Wonwoo looks up from the game on his phone. He's leaning back against the trunk of a tree and the grass is kind of wet, but he doesn't mind. He just wants a place where no one can find him. Obviously, it seems that someone can find him.

He doesn't say anything for a moment, and then sighs while pulling out one earphone, "you shouldn't be here."

"I just wanted to say sorry," Jun runs a hand through his own hair in frustration. He takes a step closer, making a soft crunch with the fallen autumn leaves. "You're right, I am a major flirt. But I didn't mean to get between you two."

"...It's raining, maybe you should come inside." He says, when Wonwoo doesn't respond to his apology.

Sure enough, Wonwoo notices for the first time that there are tiny droplets running from the tips of his hair down his face. He lazily wipes the rain from his face. "I need some time alone," he finally mutters.

Jun looks hesitant to go. "Don't worry, you're forgiven," Wonwoo tells him, adjusting his position and laying his feet down, not caring that the back of his legs are now wet. "I just need to think of a way to make up with Mingyu."

Although he doesn't know if it's a good idea, Jun takes a few steps forward and sits down next to Wonwoo, leaning his back against the same trunk. Wonwoo looks at him, clearly unamused. "I can help you."

"Seriously, it'll be like compensation." He says, when Wonwoo pulls on a skeptical look.

"Okay, fine. What do you suggest I do?" Sure, he was supposed to stay the hell away from Wen Junhui, not share a wet tree trunk with him, but he really needed the help right now.

Jun's eyes roll upward as he thinks deeply, "what ideas did you already have?"

Wonwoo shuffles a little sitting upright (and rubbing mud on his uniform as he does so), "I didn't. Mingyu told me that he wants me to tell everyone that we're together, but I- I'm not ready to do that."

"Ah, you're not ready for people to find out that you're gay," Jun concludes.

Wonwoo coughs, "Bi- I think." The older gives him a look that asks for further explanation. "Look, I don't even know," he's turning to face Jun properly. "Mingyu's the only guy I've properly liked. Sure, since I've realised that, I've been more attracted to guys in general. But that still doesn't explain why I liked girls for eighteen years," he confides.

"You know, it doesn't matter," Jun says after a few understanding nods.

"What do you mean?"

He gives Wonwoo a supportive smile, "you don't have to label yourself. You don't have to figure out what category you fit into. Liking people isn't about their gender, it's about who they are on the inside. It's about what their heart is like, and what you like about that. What are answers anyway? Is anyone ever sure what or who they are? Nope, no they're not. When you come out, who cares if people think you're gay, bi, or crazy? What matters is if you like Mingyu or not. And you've already told me the answer to that."

Wonwoo stares blankly like he's just been slapped in the face.

"And now all you have to do is show Mingyu that. Show him how you really feel."

"T-Thanks," Wonwoo scrambles up quickly. "No, really, thanks Jun... hyung." Jun lets out a grin at the comment. "I gotta go, I gotta go do something for Mingyu."

Just as he's about to run off, he stops in his tracks. "Do you... have someone you really like too?" Wonwoo suddenly asks, surprising Jun.

The brown haired boy pauses then nods, his lips forming a bittersweet smile.

A sudden interest sparks inside of Wonwoo, but he doesn't have time to wonder or ask, so he just tells him, "I hope that whoever they are, they know what a great person you are."

Jun snorts a little, and Wonwoo rolls his eyes before turning away.

Jun watches as the boy runs faster and faster, the splashes he makes in the puddles getting smaller and smaller. "I hope he does too," he whispers as Wonwoo's figure turns into a small blur in the distance.

 

 

 _Oh god, oh god, something that proves my feelings for him_ , Wonwoo thinks impatiently as he walks at a furious pace around the shopping centre. Words don't seem to be enough, so he's decided to buy something.

 _Is it cheap and materialistic if I do that? Am I devaluing our relationship?_ Wonwoo sighs as he eyes multiple different shops. _God, why is this so difficult?_ Spotting a cute gift shop, he wanders in.

Almost immediately, he spots a large, human-sized fluffy teddy bear sitting in the corner. It's brown and has the biggest, innocent glass eyes. He awkwardly walks over and picks it up, kind of overwhelmed by its' size.

"Is this too cheesy?" He mumbles to himself, his fingers squeezing the soft fur. "Oh well, it's nice to hug," he continues, taking the animal into his arms. "Yep, definitely getting this."

Almost an hour later, he stumbles over to the cashier with a giant teddy bear, flowers, and several other items.

The girl dressed in the store uniform gives him a smile, "wow. Is this all for your girlfriend?" She picks up the items and begins to scan them.

Usually, Wonwoo would have just nodded and went along with it, because it's just so awkward to correct people, honestly. But this time, he speaks up, "Actually, it's for my boyfriend." He says proudly, and she looks surprised for a second.

"O-Oh," she exclaims, then offers the same polite smile. "That's sweet."

Wonwoo beams shyly, "do you think he'll like it?"

"Uhm, I-"

"N-Nevermind!"

 

 

It's eight by the time Wonwoo gets out of the shops and starts heading home. It's also raining feverishly, as if taunting and beating Wonwoo for being an idiot this whole time. Ten minutes into the journey, Wonwoo starts running. And not to his place, but to Mingyu's.

He can't wait any longer.

 

 

Mingyu is laying across his plush sofa; the only sounds in the apartment are his soft sighs, and the quiet whirring of the refrigerator from the kitchen. _Was I too harsh on him?_ He thinks, rubbing a hand across his own forehead.

_I didn't even give him a chance to explain... And I broke up with him._

He kicks his feet in the air frustratedly and sits up. Mingyu glances at his phone, disappointed that Wonwoo hasn't called or even texted him at all. Tapping his fingers against the glass coffee table, he's about to give in and grab his phone to _maybe_ text Wonwoo, when the doorbell suddenly rings.

 _Who is it at this hour? Dad would have his own keys_ , he wonders, getting up tiredly to open the door.

"Who- Wonwoo." His voice comes to a stop as he stares at the rain soaked boy in front of him. There's water dripping from his hair and his clothes, and his whole body is shivering from the cold. "What are you doing here right now? It's late." Mingyu instinctively glances at the clock and sees that it's nearing 9pm.

"I'm so sorry," Wonwoo blurts out as Mingyu steps aside to let the older boy in. "I- I, you've always been so affectionate to me, but I hurt you. I'm sorry." He gulps and then continues, "I tried to think of a way to show you my feelings, but I just ended up buying lots of cheesy things." He thrusts the shopping bags at Mingyu, "I got you flowers- roses, actually. Cliche, I know, but they're pretty, right? And this teddy bear!" He pulls the gigantic soaked teddy bear out from the bags. "It's really big and nice to hug, so I thought you might like it. I mean, when I'm not here, you can have this guy to keep you company instead."

Mingyu's staring in disbelief and wonder, as Wonwoo frantically pulls more things out, "Um, and I got... couple scarves... and rings, I didn't know which one you'd prefer. I thought scarves might be too obvious, but then again so are rings. And I know you kind of broke up with me this morning, but like, I-"

"Wonwoo, stop." Mingyu's voice comes out in a whisper, and Wonwoo gulps. _Oh god, is he still mad?_ He pulls the shopping bags from his hands and drop them to the floor, before taking Wonwoo into his arms.

They encircle Wonwoo's body under his arms, and rub his back lovingly. "I-" Mingyu feels tears forming at the corners of his eyes as he sets his chin on Wonwoo's shoulder, and a grin breaks out on his mouth. "I can't believe you."

Wonwoo still isn't exactly sure what Mingyu's reaction is, until he whispers, "you're so adorable." And Wonwoo is convinced he's about to melt onto the ground at any second now.

"You're not mad anymore?" He mumbles, a little afraid as he reaches his arms around Mingyu to return the hug.

Mingyu presses a light kiss onto Wonwoo's shoulder, "no hyung. I'm not."

"You liked the presents?"

The younger laughs, "yes, but that's not why. The fact that you fretted about how to show me your true feelings already says enough. Even though you're bad at expressing it, I know that what I'm feeling isn't one sided."

Wonwoo smiles, relief and euphoria rushing through his heart and pumping through his veins. "Thanks, Mingyu." He pulls back from the hug.

Brushing a tear away from Mingyu's face with his thumb, he leans in and presses a light kiss to his lips.

"Stay over tonight," Mingyu whispers as Wonwoo pulls away. The older boy's eyes visibly widen, and heat rises to his face. Before he can question anything, Mingyu clears up the confusion for him. "N-Not like that! It's just- It's late, and it's still raining outside. So just, you should stay over."

"Okay," Wonwoo slips his hand into Mingyu's, enjoying the warmth. "Where do I sleep?"

"With me, duh. Not like that's not happened before."

Wonwoo feels strangely comfortable as he settles into Mingyu's bed beside him, his hair now dry after Mingyu forced a hair dryer and some fresh clothes on him. "Mingyu," he mumbles, sinking into the soft mattress.

"Yeah?" The younger boy turns to face him.

Wonwoo reaches a hand out to brush Mingyu's hair away from his face, "nothing. Just wanted to say your name."

Even in the utter darkness, Wonwoo can see the blush on his boyfriend's face, and he leans in for a kiss.

His lips linger lightly on Mingyu's, before using a hand to bring the younger boy's face closer towards his.

Mingyu whimpers quietly as he feels Wonwoo slip his tongue into his mouth.

As Wonwoo slips a hand under Mingyu's shirt to caress the side of his waist, Mingyu drapes a leg over Wonwoo's, hooking their lower bodies together and pushing so that the older boy is now under him.

Wonwoo moans and pulls his mouth back, panting lightly. "We should stop."

"...Yeah." Mingyu lays his head on Wonwoo's chest, listening to his heart beats. "I really like you, hyung."

"Me too."


	15. Chapter 15

Mingyu awakes with bleary eyes, as he buries his face into Wonwoo's bare neck, hiding from the wintry morning light. Despite the October chill creeping from his foggy bedroom windows, a burning warmth seeps through his body as he envelopes the boy underneath him.

Blinking a couple times, he reaches an arm across to pick up his phone and peeks at the time. It's almost seven AM, and there's school today. "Wonwoo," he murmurs quietly against the said boy's chest. "Wake up."

Wonwoo doesn't even stir. Sighing, Mingyu places a kiss on his boyfriend's neck in hopes for a response. A muffled grunt unconsciously escapes the older's lips, and Mingyu glances up at him again. Trailing his eyes up and back down the sleeping figure, he notices the fading purplish bruises along Wonwoo's neck and brushes a thumb across them.

 _Fuck, I did this..._ He remembers the time Wonwoo first came over to his apartment and heat sizzles to his face. Without thinking first, Mingyu harshly bites a spot near his collarbones, startling Wonwoo and waking him up.

"H-Hey! What-" The black haired boy sits up slightly, his hands clutching the bed sheets, still feeling drowsy and disorientated. "What are you doing?" He gapes, a hand reaching to rub his tired eyes.

"Reviving your hickeys," Mingyu grins, and of all the times Wonwoo has admired his boyfriend's canines, they've never looked so attractive until now.

Snapping out of his daze, Wonwoo dodges his boyfriend's lips, "hey! Are you crazy? Do you know how long I've been waiting for them to fade?" He can't help but shiver slightly, the thin cotton shirt isn't doing much to counteract the early winter air.

"Why would you want them to go away?" The genuine disappointment in Mingyu's eyes coupled with his pouting makes Wonwoo gulp.

"T-That's because... If people see-" He gives up half way through, sighing and rolling his eyes playfully, before pulling Mingyu towards him. "I guess you'll only understand through experience."

Mingyu's wide eyes are lost for a moment, until he feels Wonwoo's lips against the edge of his collarbones. He squirms at the sudden contact when Wonwoo's teeth dig into his skin, and his hand flies out to grab at the back of Wonwoo's neck.

Bzzz. The sound of Mingyu's phone vibrating makes them both jump, and the boy reaches out to grab it, but Wonwoo possessively places a hand on Mingyu's to stop him. Clearly, he wants his boyfriend's undivided attention.

Wonwoo continues with sucking on a spot, while his fingers play with Mingyu's. Bzzz. His phone vibrates again, and Mingyu's curiousity as to who it is grows just a little. Bzzz- and again. Before Mingyu can take his phone, Wonwoo snatches it from the bed and opens the message.

**Jun: hey bro just wanted to say sorry  
sent: 7:02 am**

**Jun: i was gonna wait till school but it was killing me  
sent: 7:03 am **

**Jun: if you don't reply i'll be sad (つ﹏**

"Oh, it's just Jun." Wonwoo's clearly much less annoyed at this, and Mingyu notices. "Here you go, he says sorry." The older boy tosses the phone across the short distance between him and Mingyu. 

****Mingyu: okay fine i replied  
sent: 7:04 am** **

****Jun: (・∀・) That's it?  
sent: 7:04 am** **

****Mingyu: yes now go away im with wonwoo hyung  
sent: 7:05** **

****Jun: ohhh okay (⊙◞౪◟⊙) ╯★~.*♥~◇｡｡ hehe  
sent: 7:05** **

Rolling his eyes, Mingyu ignores the last text, despite the small smile on his lips. How could he be mad at Jun, really? Sure, trying to kiss his boyfriend was way out of line, but he knows that Jun's always been the flirtatious type. It doesn't mean anything, and even if it did, it doesn't matter because Wonwoo clearly loves him. 

The thoughts crash to a screeching halt as one realisation pushes through and hangs over him. Wonwoo still hasn't told him he loves him. 

"Hey, what happened to not coming in at the same time?" Wonwoo's walking through the school entrance at a hurried pace with Mingyu following closely behind. He shifts uncomfortably in his blazer, actually _Mingyu's old blazer_ would be the correct term. Even though it's supposedly from when school first started, it's oddly big and Wonwoo feels like a child in it. It also smells weirdly nice like blackberries and coconut, and honestly, the boy can't help but bring his sleeves to his nose and take in the scent every now and then. 

Mingyu hides a grin by folding his lips inward, "it doesn't matter. We can just tell people we saw each other when we were walking to school." 

"Okay, just... you're being really obvious, Mingyu." He mutters, distancing himself as his eyes dart around anxiously for any onlookers. 

"Wow, looking at you now it's hard to believe how possessive you were just an hour ago," Mingyu keeps the distance, his voice bitter and sharp and filled with annoyance. Wonwoo whips himself around, staring at the younger boy's eyes which are pointed downwards. 

He softens, "look, I'm sorry. I just don't wanna get caught," he apologises, wanting so much to take Mingyu's hands into his own. 

Before Mingyu gets a chance to reply, Wonwoo feels an arm crash onto his shoulder. 

"Hey guys!" Seungcheol grins, trying to jump onto Wonwoo, who only backs away. 

Hansol looks Wonwoo up and down, "hyung did you shrink overnight or something? Because you look weirdly tiny today." 

The others all turn their attention to Wonwoo, and Jun smirks knowingly until Mingyu jabs him in the side and he struggles to pull on a straight face. 

"Uh, I don't know, you're probably just imagining things." _Wow, Wonwoo. What a lame ass excuse. You couldn't do better than that? He mentally tells himself._

"No," Seokmin begins, "I see it too though." 

Before the group can question him any further, they're interrupted by a voice and for once, Wonwoo is thankful for the arrival Kim Taehyung. 

"Hey guys!" The purple haired boy offers them all a grin, and there are a few 'hey's exchanged before they all descend into silence again. Before anyone needs to start making awkward conversation, the bell rings signaling for the start of first lesson. 

Wonwoo turns to go with Jun and Minghao (who he has first period with), but he suddenly feels a grip on his elbow. 

He turns to see Taehyung staring at him with bewildered eyes. "What?" 

There's a pause, and it looks like he's concentrating, "oh. Nothing, nevermind." 

"Ow!" Wonwoo cries out as a ball smacks him in the lower back. "What the hell was that for Jun?!" 

They're standing around in the outdoor basketball court in oversized shirts and tracksuits, their limbs freezing off since it's late autumn. 

"For spacing out. What are you doing?" Jun's bouncing a basketball not five metres away, with Minghao next to him. 

Wonwoo trudges over, "I didn't know that thingy was in our p.e class..." 

"Thingy?" Minghao questions, and then the confusion washes from his face as he sees a familiar boy approaching them. "Oh, Taehyung hyung." 

"Jun! Minghao!" He calls out, jogging over. "Wonwoo," he adds as he approaches, his tone clearly less enthusiastic. 

Jun smiles, "What's up?" 

"Okay for today's lesson, I want you all to pair up with a partner and practice passing!" The gym teacher's voice booms over their conversation. 

"Jun hyung!" Minghao grabs the brown haired boy and drags him away. 

"Doesn't this go without saying?" Wonwoo hears Jun's proud voice as the pair wander off. 

Sighing to himself, Wonwoo reaches down and picks up a basketball from the floor. "Guess I'm with you then?" 

Taehyung grins, "yeah." If Wonwoo didn't know better, he would've thought the grin was more of a smirk and that there was a challenging look in his eyes. 

"Ooh! Sorry, my bad." Taehyung apologises as he almost hits Wonwoo in the head for the fifth time. It's not just his aim, but the ridiculous force he uses to throw the thing. 

Wonwoo gives the boy a slight glare, "Don't worry about it." _So this guy has a bad feeling about me, huh._ He scoops up the ball and blasts it back, the throw fuelled by all his frustration. _Guess I can't blame him if he's right..._ Hiding a smirk, he watches the ball shoot past Taehyung, missing his head by less than a centimetre. 

Before he even realises, Taehyung has already thrust the ball back through the air, and it's a high ball. 

Wonwoo dives up to get it a little too late, and ends up tripping. The next thing he knows, he's on the floor with Taehyung peering over him. How embarrassing. 

Taehyung stares down at Wonwoo, the boy's exposed collarbones catching his eye immediately. 

There are rough bite marks and faint purple bruises all over his milky skin. 

"Wow, I didn't think you were the type." Taehyung raises a brow as he reaches his hand out to help the boy up. 

Wonwoo takes it, "the type to what?" He furrows his brows in confusion as he gets up and steadies himself. 

"Nothing," and for the second time that day, Wonwoo is left clueless and irritated. 

What a weirdo, Wonwoo thinks as he rakes a hand through his messy hair, making his way to maths. 

When he arrives, he sees the class all waiting outside, which means the teacher is late again, and didn't bother to leave the door unlocked. 

"Hey," Wonwoo takes a few steps towards Hyerim, who looks up and greets him with bright eyes. 

"Wonwoo oppa! Hey," she grins, glowing visibly. "How've you been?" 

He's slightly lost for words for a moment, "um, I'm- I've been good." _She's so pretty, it's unbelievable._

"You?" 

She scrunches her lips up, "I'm okay! Have you heard about that Taehyung guy? Apparently he's Mingyu's ex - boyfriend." 

"Yeah, he is..." He sees her face droop just slightly, but then the sound of her phone puts light back into her expression. "Seungcheol hyung?" Wonwoo didn't mean to peek, but his eyes fell on her phone screen before he could help it. 

She simply nods, "yeah, we talk sometimes... He helped me that time I hurt my leg." 

"Cool," Wonwoo hides a grin at the relief he feels that Hyerim might be moving on from Mingyu. 

"Mingyu-ah," Taehyung's voice is deep and intoxicating as he pulls the taller boy aside. They'd just had geography, and Mingyu spent the entire lesson silently screaming at the gods for putting them in the same class. 

"Yeah?" He replies, trying to sound casual as Taehyung backs him into a wall. 

Taehyung doesn't say anything more, but stares longingly into Mingyu's wide brown eyes. A hand holds the boy's left arm against the cold hard surface and heat drips through his veins. 

A gulp is heard, and Taehyung smirks, leaning in to claim Mingyu's nervous lips. Immediately, the taller boy whips his head aside, even banging it against the wall to avoid Taehyung. 

"What's wrong?" Taehyung's voice comes out hurt and angry. Before Mingyu even replies, his eyes drop to the expanses of skin which have been exposed from the angle Mingyu is leaning his head away. 

The blotches on his skin are fresh and red, clearly having been bitten and sucked on. 

Suddenly, it all makes sense to him. 

"Mingyu, do you have a boyfriend?" 

The said boy uses both hands to push Taehyung away, "huh? What's that got to do with you?" He stammers out, slipping away from him. 

Seeing how Taehyung isn't stopping him, Mingyu takes the chance to calmly walk off. Pressing his palm against the cold stone wall, Taehyung feels heat radiating from his hand as he gathers his thoughts. 

_Blackberries and coconut. That was definitely coming from Wonwoo's blazer earlier, not to mention it was oversized. Mingyu was obsessed with that certain cologne three years ago._

_Do they think people don't have eyes? Are we idiots?_

_So Kim Mingyu is dating a closet case? What a joke._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *reminder that this is on aff too & I'm up to ch17 on there also yes I changed my username:))


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the angsty junhao spinoff is published!!

Mingyu observes with watchful eyes as Wonwoo and Jun emerge from a corner of the corridor and approach the group.

"Hey, thanks man," he hears Jun mumble to Wonwoo. Something seems off, and it takes a moment for Mingyu to realise that the older boy's usual confidence and smug aura has been ripped from his entire body.

In fact, Jun's eyes seem tired and his whole face is soulless and worn out. Wonwoo's got an arm wrapped around Jun's shoulder, and an assuring smile hangs from his lips. For once, Mingyu doesn't even feel jealous or suspicious.

"Don't worry about it," Wonwoo whispers to Jun just as the rest of the group turn their attention to them.

"Hey guys," Soonyoung grins, and the others all nod at them, even Taehyung. Wonwoo mutters back a few 'hi's, making sure to glance at them each individually. It's actually kind of difficult being in a group of thirteen, or well, fourteen if you count the purple haired nuisance. He almost doesn't even notice that Seungcheol isn't there.

"Where's Seungcheol hyung?" Jun asks, his voice unusually quiet.

"He ran off earlier to talk to that Hyerim girl or something," Seokmin tells him with a yawn. 

_At least someone's love life seems to be working out..._ Wonwoo hides a scowl when he notices how close Taehyung is standing next to his boyfriend. He knows it's his own fault really; he still doesn't have the courage to admit he's dating Mingyu. Maybe he should tell people one by one, he's practically already started with Jun. But if he tells the wrong people, it could all spiral out of his control.

Anyway, with Taehyung sitting his chin on Mingyu's shoulder and giving him silly love sick grins, now's not really the time to be contemplating such thoughts.

"Mingyu-ah," Wonwoo's deep voice along with his sudden affectionate way of calling his name causes Mingyu to immediately shrug off Taehyung's face. "Can we talk? In private?" He adds, gently pulling the boy towards himself by the elbow.

He's being obvious, but he really couldn't care less right now. The other guys might tease him, but none of them care enough to see the situation for what it really is.

"Sure, hyung."

"Since when were you two so close?" Taehyung's challenging voice interrupts the departing pair. "Is there something going on?" The questions along with his friends' interested looks make Wonwoo flush anxiously, but his frustration overrides his worries as he grips Mingyu tighter.

"None of your business," he bites back, almost snarling.

"Really? It seems like you guys are-"

"Don't be an irritating shit, Taehyung," Jun's voice comes out in an exhausted sigh, and the others all turn to him with wide eyes. Jun's not exactly the type to be serious, or easily pissed off.

"Hey," Taehyung snaps, "I'm your hyung, don't talk to me like that." Jun isn't even fazed by the glare he receives, and instead goes to leave the opposite way that Wonwoo and Mingyu just went.

"Sure, whatever," he mumbles, patting Taehyung's shoulder as he walks past. The group falls to an uncomfortable silence as Jun wanders off; his shoulders are sunken and his footprints are grey. Minghao runs after him.

 

 

As soon as the couple are outside and away from other people, Wonwoo grabs Mingyu's warm hand and laces their fingers together.

Mingyu beams shyly, "what did you want to talk about?" He swings their hands playfully to match the pace they're walking at.

"Nothing, I just wanted to get you away from Taehyung." Wonwoo admits.

"Aw, is someone jealous?" Mingyu teases, trying to look into his boyfriend's eyes, who's trying everything to avoid Mingyu seeing his blush. A winter chill creeps over Wonwoo's body, and he visibly shivers as he nods.

"Actually, I am. So stop hanging around him," Wonwoo grumbles, and then stiffens when he feels a soft weight being draped around his shoulders. He looks over and realises that Mingyu's taken off his blazer and thrown it onto his back.

"You seemed cold," is all he says before taking Wonwoo's hand again.

Wonwoo feels like he's being babied, but sure enough, it's a lot warmer with the extra layer. "Now you're cold though," he mumbles, staring at Mingyu who's left with only a thin white shirt.

"If you want me to get warmer, then maybe you should hug me," Mingyu suggests with a grin just as they're turning a corner to an even more secluded part of the school grounds.

Wonwoo rolls his eyes, "or maybe you should've thought twice before taking off your blazer for me." Before Mingyu can even pout and complain, Wonwoo adds, "so when's our next tutoring session? I have a maths test coming up."

Snorting, Mingyu turns to face him, "tutoring session? Really? If you wanted to come over, you could have just ask-"

"I meant a real tutoring session!" Wonwoo interrupts with a yell, flustered.

Mingyu bursts into laughter at Wonwoo's red face before replying, "well, I can't tonight. I have to stay after school."

"Why?"

"Um, well, I have to catch up on some group coursework in geography," Mingyu avoids his boyfriend's eyes, and his voice is slightly uncertain.

Wonwoo stops walking, "what aren't you telling me?"

"Well, the thing is... You know how I was in a three-person group with Jisoo and Chan because there's an odd number of people in the class?" Wonwoo nods. "Well, everyone else had to be in pairs, so when Taehyung joined our class, he automatically got put with me..."

There's a silence, and then, "WHAT THE HELL? WHO'S YOUR GEOGRAPHY TEACHER? I'LL-"

"Hyung!" Mingyu shushes the older boy by forcing his hand onto his mouth, "don't yell so loudly, people are gonna hear!"

Wonwoo pulls the hand away, "this is so not fair, maybe I should get transferred to your geography class or something..." He mumbles the last part to himself, staring at the ground in concentration.

"Hyung. You don't take geography." Mingyu reminds him blankly, and Wonwoo looks up suddenly, eyes blinking in thought.

"...Oh yeah. But still."

Mingyu's canines make a sudden appearance as his mouth stretches into a wide grin. "You're so cute when you're jealous," he pats the top of Wonwoo's head, enjoying the feeling of his soft hair.

Wonwoo looks up at his boyfriend, and suddenly their height difference is apparent. "Don't _pat_ me!" He fights Mingyu's hand with his own, "I'm not a child..."

"Aww, little Wonwoo!" Mingyu teases and wraps his arms around Wonwoo while leaning his head on the shorter boy's.

"Hey, shut up!" Wonwoo struggles to pull himself out of Mingyu's affectionate grip, "I'm not even short, in fact I'm actually tall, but you're just a human tree!"

Mingyu ignores his boyfriend's protests, "height difference is cute," he tells him in a factual tone. "Is it warm and safe down there, Wonwoo-ah? Or do I need to come down and protect you from monsters?" His voice goes all cute and childish as if he's talking to a pet or a baby.

"You're _literally_ like four centimetres taller than me," Wonwoo grumbles in a serious tone.

"Probably five though," Mingyu replies, straightening himself up to back up his point, and watches as Wonwoo gives him a face of mock disgust. Wonwoo's always felt tall around other people, but when it's just him and his boyfriend- things are vastly different.

"Mingyu oppa?" The pair almost jump in shock at the voice, and their eyes immediately fall on the source of the voice. Kang Hyerim. "What are you guys..." Wonwoo realises that with Mingyu's blazer flapping in the wind from his shoulders, things probably look rather... _obvious_. Yet he seems to have lost his words as he gapes at Seungcheol and Hyerim, standing about three feet away with questioning looks in their eyes.

Luckily, Mingyu's improv skills make up for Wonwoo's inability to explain, "look guys! Doesn't Wonwoo hyung look hilariously small in my blazer?"

Seungcheol laughs, "He does, yeah." Hyerim is still a little confused before she takes in the image of Wonwoo sulking with an oversized blazer enveloping him and giggles.

"What are you guys doing together?" Wonwoo changes the subject as he lets the garment slip from his body and throws it back at Mingyu violently.

"We're-" Seungcheol starts with a silly grin, but Hyerim cuts him off.

"Mingyu oppa," she runs over, "we have a lesson together after break, let's walk together!" Mingyu watches as Seungcheol's eyes falter with disappointment.

"You should get Seungcheol hyung to walk you, I'm gonna walk Wonwoo instead."

Hyerim pouts, giving Wonwoo a glance. "Wonwoo oppa doesn't need you to walk him, he's got legs, he can go to lesson by himself!"

"You have legs too, Hyerim." Mingyu's voice comes out deadpan, and the girl frowns with disappointment.

"Yeah, actually I have some stuff to talk about with Mingyu so we're gonna leave first. See you guys!" Wonwoo hurriedly drags Mingyu away by the wrist, who hides a smile as he realises Wonwoo is beginning to be braver about being together in public.

 

 

Wonwoo throws his shoulder bag over himself as he makes his way out of computer science. It's quiet and lonely when he gets outside, even with groups of people chattering gossip around him.

He mentally cringes when he realises he misses Mingyu even though it's been less than three hours since he last saw him. That's just how it is at the start when you fall for someone. You miss them all the time, want to talk to them all the time, want to see their face... Wonwoo sighs, _why the hell have I been turned into such a love sick fool?_

_Should I text him? So that stupid Taehyung will see it and realise just how close we are and back off? Nah, I shouldn't interrupt him when he's working..._

Suddenly, a conversation catches his attention.

"So I heard that the new guy used to be Kim Mingyu's boyfriend!" An incredulous voice whispers rather loudly.

Curiousity and irritation rise inside of Wonwoo as he continues eavesdropping. "Yeah, I heard that too! Don't you think they're a really cute couple though?" Another girl pipes in, and Wonwoo impatiently runs a hand through his hair in frustration.

"They're both so hot, I hope they get back together!"

That's it. Wonwoo harshly kicks a plastic bottle by his feet against a brick wall and whips his phone out.

 

 

**Wonwoo: good luck with your work :)  
sent: 3:17pm**

"Who's that?" Taehyung pokes his head over, and glances at Mingyu's phone, then frowns when he sees the message. "Oh, _him_. You guys are awfully close, aren't you?"

Mingyu elbows him away and carries on scribbling some words on his piece of paper after typing back a quick thanks. "We're good friends."

"Right." Taehyung stops working and props his head onto his palm, staring at Mingyu. "Because friends text each other useless messages like 'good luck' when all you're doing is some geography coursework."

"Yeah well, Wonwoo hyung's a nice person."

Taehyung scoffs and rolls his eyes, "yeah, okay enough about that guy. Let's talk about us." Mingyu's left hand stops scribbling, and he turns to face his geography partner.

"Taehyung hyung, we're over, okay? It's been like three years."

"You don't seem to be taking me seriously. Where did we even go wrong? I left for a few years, and suddenly it seems like you've forgotten all about me. Were you always so casual, Kim Mingyu?"

Sighing, Mingyu picks up his pen again and continues to write, "we were fifteen, Taehyung. I need to finish this quickly, so hurry up and do the research so I can leave."

"No," Taehyung grabs his arm to stop him from working and to steal his attention back, "it doesn't matter when or where it was, our feelings were real."

"Like you said," Mingyu wriggles his arm out of Taehyung's grip, "were. Past tense. Then again, you were never good at language," he smirks.

With his patience worn thin, Taehyung pokes his tongue into the side of his mouth in thought, "yeah I guess you're right. But I am good at other things."

"Such as?" Mingyu asks, not really paying attention.

"Hmm, well I'd say I'm pretty good with noticing stuff, oh- like the fact that you're dating Jeon Wonwoo."

The younger boy freezes, needing a moment to digest the words that just left Taehyung's cold lips. "Wait, what?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls read the junhao spinoff :') http://archiveofourown.org/works/6335527/chapters/14516401  
> "there's a member who's 4-5 cm taller than me and when I look up at him, I find it appealing" okay wonwoo okay


	17. Chapter 17

Rowdy voices in the school cafe ring in Mingyu's ears and drill into his head as he sits at the usual table, resting his head against his palm in exhaustion. Seokmin and Soonyoung are chattering endlessly beside him with massive grins, but Mingyu just sighs to himself.

 _Oh god, why why why why why. How am I supposed to tell Wonwoo hyung that Tae knows and- Oh god._ His mind flashes back to yesterday afternoon.

 

_"...you're dating Jeon Wonwoo."_

_"Wait what?"_

Taehyung smirks coldly, "do you really think I'm dumb? It's a wonder that the others can't see it." Mingyu's lips are parted in shock, but he doesn't say anything. Or, he can't say anything. "Or maybe they know too. You think you're fooling us? You two are the real idiots."

Dropping his pencil lightly against the desk, Mingyu takes a gulp. "I don't know what you're talking about," he mumbles.

"That's rather weak. Mingyu, I know _you're dating him, so stop denying it." Taehyung looks unamused, and his eyes haven't left Mingyu's once, and the younger boy begins to shuffle uncomfortably in his seat._

_"If you're not going to do the work then I'm gonna leave fir-"_

_Mingyu doesn't even get to take a step away because the moment he gets up, Taehyung grabs his wrist. His grip is tight and unforgiving, causing Mingyu to sit back down and shake it off violently. "What do you even want? This has nothing to do with you." He says, eyes roaming the room to see if anyone has noticed the tense situation._

_Fortunately, everyone's either working or chattering and the teacher's gone for her fifth coffee refill. Mingyu doesn't look at the older boy, but he hears a scoff. "Are you serious? I want you break up with closet kid and get back together with me, obviously."_

_"That's not gonna happen."_

_"Why the hell not?" Taehyung questions with a snarl, and Mingyu runs his left hand through his hair in frustration._

_Pushing his chair back, Mingyu sighs deeply, "I don't like you anymore, okay? Especially after all this. You're just being annoying and clingy. And I would appreciate it if you'd keep my relationship with Wonwoo a secret." He hopes his voice doesn't come out so desperate like he's begging, but nice enough to convince Taehyung to actually do something right. Then again, there's always the option of getting Jun to shut him up. Jun doesn't exactly seem like himself lately though, Mingyu notes._

_"Oh, of course I'll do that for you." His voice drops from a sickeningly sweet tone like syrup to an aggressive growl, "no I fucking won't, why would I?"_

_"Be-" Mingyu doesn't finish, because Taehyung's face suddenly looks like a light bulb's been switched on in his brain, and the younger boy feels every right to be scared now._

_"Fine." Taehyung cuts in, "I'd like to see how far this can go."_

 

His train of thought comes to a sudden crash, as Taehyung takes the seat opposite him, setting down a plate of chips and a carton of orange juice.

"Hey, Mingyu." The purple haired boy throws a chip into his mouth, and swallows almost without chewing. "You look upset, is something bothering you?" He playfully sits his chin on his palm and studies the taller boy, giving him a mocking pout.

Mingyu rolls his eyes coldly, "drink your juice and shut up."

"Want one?" Taehyung holds a chip to the younger boy's lips, who only gives him an unamused look.

"Mingyu-ah." The said boy feels a warm weight wrapping around his shoulders, and he turns to see Wonwoo squished up real close next to him. Taehyung slowly retracts his hand in irritation as Wonwoo carries on talking. "We have biology next," he tells him, arm still hanging casually around the boy.

"I'm in your class too," Taehyung snaps.

Wonwoo pretends to look bewildered, "oh really? I never noticed, that's so funny."

"I guess you must always be too busy paying attention to Mingyu."

"Oh really? What makes you think that?" Wonwoo leans closer to his boyfriend and steals a piece of cookie before popping it into his mouth casually. Before Taehyung can even reply, Wonwoo gets up. "Mingyu, we should start walking to lesson," he impatiently grabs Mingyu's wrist, who's frantically trying to chew down the last chunks of his double chocolate chip cookie.

"Don't choke," Wonwoo gives Mingyu a forceful pat on his back as they hurry out of the double doors and then swiftly glances behind them to see that thankfully, Taehyung isn't following.

As they head towards the science block, Mingyu looks down at their swinging arms and internally sighs sadly at the fact that he can't just slip his fingers through Wonwoo's and hold his hand tightly.

"What's that pout for?" Wonwoo asks, cluelessly studying his boyfriend up and down.

Mingyu blows out a soft puff of air, "it's nothing really."

Despite this, Wonwoo is still bothered at his boyfriend's glumness. But he doesn't get to push further because as they take their seats in the biology lab, Mingyu speaks up first.

"Um, Taehyung knows."

It takes approximately two seconds for the words to sink in, and when they do, Wonwoo's complexion turns a sickly white. There's an ever-consuming black hole forming in his chest and sucking away his oxygen.

Wait, _what_? He tries to voice his thoughts out loud, but he's choking on his own breath and his insides feel hot and slimy. He didn't think it'd be so bad if anyone ever found out, like it was completely fine with Jun. But Taehyung? _Kim Taehyung_? His life is a joke.

"You... okay?" Mingyu utters, concerned by Wonwoo's sudden inability to speak.

Taking a massive gulp, Wonwoo manages an "um." This is it. Now that Taehyung knows, the whole school is gonna find out in a matter of three days- no, it won't even take _one day_. "H-How?"

Gingerly, Mingyu takes Wonwoo's hand into his own. "He figured it out. I'm sorry, hyung. I should have lied but I was too shocked to deny it. Hyung, are you okay? I told him not to tell anyone!" His voice is rushing out in a panic to calm Wonwoo down.

"Yeah, I'm... I'm fine."

Mingyu's not so sure, especially when he feels Wonwoo grip his hand so tight, his knuckles turn white. "Wonwoo hyung, don't worry," Mingyu assures him, bringing the older boy closer with his arm and pulling Wonwoo's head to rest on his own shoulder. It's still early and no one is in the lab yet, so Wonwoo just lets it happen.

Honestly, there's a gnawing pain inside of Mingyu too. So much that he feels nauseated: why is it so bad for Wonwoo that they'll be found out? Is he really that ashamed of being with Mingyu? Mingyu keeps wishing there could be a way to reach in and rip those sorts of doubting, hurtful thoughts out from inside his head, but there really isn't.

 

 

The rest of the day passes with Wonwoo avoiding Taehyung (and people in general) even if it means he has to be apart from Mingyu. He doesn't even walk the younger boy home like usual.

Instead, he's at his local store hauling around cartons of milk in a shopping basket and sweeping packets of instant ramyun into said basket. Wonwoo's got his hoodie jacket under his school blazer, and he's conveniently using the hood to hide his face.

He's not exactly in the mood to run into anyone he knows and have to make conversation. Even saying a simple hi seems too difficult for him right now.

Pulling out a scrumpled piece of note paper from his trouser pocket, he scans the list and mutters 'ice cream' under his breath before making his way over to the frozen aisle.

As Wonwoo turns a corner, his body collides with another figure and he stumbles back in surprise. "Sorry," he mumbles and is about to step around the man when their eyes meet and Wonwoo doesn't even know what kind of reaction the gods want from him with this fantastic coincidence.

"M-Mr Kim!" He stutters before he can stop himself, eyes widening. The older man looks momentarily lost before offering Wonwoo a tired smile.

"Oh, Wonwoo, of course, hello," Mingyu's dad greets warmly.

Wonwoo hurriedly pulls his hood down in an attempt to not look like one of those teenage gangsters who think they're hard because they smoke on the streets and skip school so often their classmates don't even know them. Not the greatest impression to make on your boyfriend's dad.

"Um, what brings you here? I mean, this isn't exactly your closest store, it's kind of smaller than your area's shops."

Despite Mingyu's place being walking distance from Wonwoo's house, there's still a clear social divide between the two areas. This basically means that Mingyu lives in the rich, snobby area and Wonwoo lives in the crappy, shadowy neighbourhood. Hence why he's so confused as to why Mingyu's dad came all the way to a smaller store in a poorer part of town.

"Oh, well I come by this way after work and since the prices are cheaper here, I drop by once in a while." Despite the fatigue obvious in the man's face (probably from being overworked), as well as his wrinkles, Wonwoo feels a youthful, relaxing vibe coming from the man. He smiles softly to himself, making the connection as to why Mingyu's so lively and casual. "I guess you must live in this neighbourhood?"

Wonwoo licks his dry lips, "um yeah, I do." He's slightly embarrassed at this fact, but he can sense that Mingyu's dad isn't the type to judge.

"Do you want to come over? Mingyu would probably like that," Mr Kim suggests casually, grabbing a bottle of soy sauce and throwing it into his basket on top of the green onions. Wonwoo's surprised; he hadn't thought that between their family of two, one of them would be a chef.

"You cook?" He blurts out, then realises he didn't answer the question. "I mean, no it's fine..." Mingyu's dad looks up at him, and Wonwoo has to blink twice to make sure that yes, the man does indeed look bewildered at the fact that Wonwoo turned down the invitation. "But... I can help you carry your bags up I guess?" He adds quickly.

Mr Kim bursts into a hearty chuckle, "don't worry I'm not forcing you to come up. And no, I don't cook, but Mingyu likes to. Sometimes I think that boy can do everything, and sometimes I think he doesn't do anything."

Wonwoo lets himself laugh at how true the statement somehow is, and grins. "Should we go then?"

 

 

Mingyu's lazing on his bed with only a grey t-shirt and boxers when the doorbell goes. He sits up, groaning. _Why can't dad just get his own keys out? They exist for a reason..._ He jumps off his bed and goes to open the door with heavy foot steps.

"Dad, why can't you-" His voice halts when the person standing in the entrance comes into view. "Kim Taehyung, what the hell are you doing here?"


	18. Chapter 18

The purple haired boy smirks, "aren't you going to let me in?"

"No, not really!" Mingyu yells in a hushed voice, careful not to disturb the neighbours. A thing about living in a rich apartment is that the place is filled with irritable snobs who think they're better than everyone else, which evidently becomes a problem if they all think the same thing. And no, Mingyu's not one of those snobs.

Rolling his eyes, Taehyung pushes past him, pulling his shoes off and sloppily throwing them aside.

"Hey! I didn't even invite you in!" Mingyu shuts the door and scrambles after the older boy, adjusting the shoes on the floor along the way as a precaution just in case anyone were to trip and fall.

Taehyung scoffs, "um, what am I, a vampire? Wow, this place is so nice, much better than your old house..." He mutters the last part, and Mingyu is about to tell Taehyung to shut up about vampire mythology when the said boy starts heading to his... _bedroom_?

"Woah, get out of there!" Mingyu literally dives across the room to catch Taehyung by the leg, inadvertently stumbling over, and of course, managing to pull Taehyung down along with him. So typical of Kim Mingyu, honestly.

The next thing Mingyu knows, he's looking down at a smirking Taehyung on the floor and he's stuck thinking how the hell he managed to land himself in such a cliche movie situation and with the wrong guy at that!

"Couldn't wait for the bedroom?" Taehyung's deep voice finally comments, a teasing look glimmering in his eyes.

Mingyu groans in disgust, "ugh," and goes to get up when the older boy gives a hard tug on his shirt and pulls him down closer in a flash. "what the hell are you-"

The boy can't even finish, because he's interrupted by the sound of the door opening and it fills the pit of his stomach with dread. A familar voice calls out, "hey I'm home, guess who I ran into at th-"

Still hovering above Taehyung, Mingyu glances over at the door to find both his dad and his _boyfriend_ , Wonwoo standing there, looking completely unamused. He realises now that they've been caught in a rather compromising position which is completely not what it looks like and _shit_ , Taehyung's still fisting his shirt like they were making out on the floor or something but that's not it at all and Mingyu's still processing all these thoughts so it ends up taking way too long for him to _finally_ get up.

"Wonwoo hyung!" He exclaims in shock, and glances at his hyung's unreadable expression. Wonwoo stares calmly, and the room fills up with the most uncomfortable silence.

Mingyu's dad is the first to speak up, "okay son. Good job making things awkward."

Taehyung scoffs from the floor as he gets up, brushing his jeans off. "Mr Kim, it's nice to see you again," he pulls on a polite smile and walks over to shake the man's hand.

"Sorry, hands are full," Mingyu's dad states matter-of-factly, bringing his hands up to show that they are indeed preoccupied. "I remember you, Taehoon right?" He continues, as Taehyung offers to take the heavy plastic bags over to the kitchenette.

"Um, Tae _hyung_ , actually," he corrects, ignoring the sound of Wonwoo snickering behind them.

Mingyu goes to take Wonwoo's bags from him, as well as whispering a quiet "sorry, I fell, I swear!"

A chuckle tickles the taller boy's ear, "you know, most people would find that unbelievable. But for you, it's honestly so much more believable for you to have managed to accidentally fall on top of him with such impeccable timing rather than have actually wanted to kiss him."

"H-Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Mingyu yells a little louder.

Wonwoo smiles to himself, glancing down at his feet and then up at his boyfriend again, "it means you're cute." Mingyu's face flushes red, a sweet warmth rushing to his cheeks, as he struggles to hold back a canine-revealing grin.

"But can you like put some trousers on or something? You look so gross," Wonwoo remarks with pretend disgust as he pushes past the boy and slips his shoes off.

"Hyung, you're mean!"

 

 

The three eager boys had just finished helping sort the groceries, when Mingyu's dad throws a sudden question on them. "Wonwoo, would you like to stay for dinner? Oh, and you too of course, Taehyung."

"Um, that won't be necessa-" Wonwoo begins, but doesn't exactly finish.

"Oh, that would be absolutely great, Mr Kim!" Taehyung interrupts, face beaming with mischief, obviously delighted at such a god given opportunity.

Wonwoo suppresses a frown, "on second thoughts, Mr Kim... I'm actually feeling quite hungry." His eyes catch Taehyung's gleaming ones, and he purposely gives the purple haired boy a smug look.

"Well great," the older man grins at the pair, "Mingyu's cooking."

"I am?" Mingyu looks momentarily confused, "I mean, yeah, I guess I am." He begins to throw some ingredients out from the fridge and onto the marble kitchen counter, "Wonwoo hyung, you wanna help?" The suggestion leaves his lips with a smile following right after.

"Ye-"

"I'll help!" Taehyung jumps in, rushing over. "I like doing this anyway." His face is glowing with innocent glee as he makes his way to Mingyu, almost like an excited child. In that moment, Mingyu sees a flash of the Taehyung he knew and fell for three years ago, and his heart softens.

He glances over at Wonwoo, who looks cutely jealous, and grins at him before turning his attention back to Taehyung. "Sure, I guess. Can you grab the lemongrass?"

"Oh, yeah, of course," Taehyung replies, genuinely glad to be helpful.

Mingyu makes sure to sharpen the blade of his knife, and Wonwoo can't help but feel genuinely impressed by his boyfriend's professional demeanour, especially when he makes quick and precise motions with chopping the herb into fine, even pieces.

Suddenly, Mr Kim emerges from his room, "oh no, Mingyu! I totally forgot about that pancake mix you wanted, Taehyung could you run down and grab one? Mingyu's been bugging me about it for the whole week," he sighs both in exhaustion and frustration.

"Wait, what pancak-" Mingyu begins, but his dad cuts him off.

"If you go now, you'll be back right in time for dinner, I'll give you the money," he hurries over, pulling out a ten thousand won bill from his pocket.

"Can't Wonwoo do it?" Taehyung complains, letting out a little whine, as he's backed away from the kitchenette and towards the door. Sure, he wants to make a good impression, but he was having such a great time with Mingyu!

Mr Kim ignores the question, "yup, that should be enough money, see you in a bit!" The door slams shut.

"Sorry Mingyu, won't forget next time," Mr Kim mumbles before heading back into his room.

Wonwoo stares at his boyfriend, and they both have the same look of 'what the heck just happened' scrawled across their faces. "Is it me or did your dad just purposely stop Taehyung from third-wheeling us?"

The younger boy sighs in embarrassment with a chuckle, "uh, yeah. My dad can be unbelievable sometimes. But um, I guess now you've gotta help me out," he grins, throwing a few ingredients into a pot and stirring.

"Okay, so is this the part where I come up and hug you from the back and kiss your neck or did you mean real help? Because if you meant real help, I'm kind of useless-"

Mingyu laughs out loud, delight clear in his tone, "the first thing would be fine." It doesn't even take a second for him to feel a pair of arms wrapping around his waist, and suddenly he's enveloped in warmth all over and he can barely contain himself.

Wonwoo nuzzles his face further into the the right side of Mingyu's neck, lips brushing softly against his boyfriend's heated neck. "This is really nice," he mumbles, drawing gentle patterns on his skin as he talks.

"Wonwoo hyung," Mingyu breathes out as he works more culinary magic with his hands.

His arms wrap around tighter, hands sliding upwards and tightening the embrace. "I wanna kiss your lips," Wonwoo whispers almost inaudibly, and the steam rising from Mingyu's face could probably compete with the boiling pot in front of him.

"H-Hyung!" Slowly, he shifts himself around so that he's leaning back against the kitchen counter and looking into Wonwoo's eyes with his lips curled in from embarrassment.

Wonwoo leans in closer so that their foreheads meet, and Mingyu stares impatiently, fingers gripping and tapping the countertop behind him restlessly.

The sound of a door opening from the left sends Wonwoo jumping at least two feet back, and they both stare with alarmed faces at Mingyu's dad, who looks positively awkward right now.

The man had barely taken even a foot outside of his room, but he slowly retreats back inside, "um, whoops. Sorry, carry on."

"Oh my god," Wonwoo breathes out in relief. "That was awkward."

Mingyu slaps a hand onto his red face to hide his sheepish grin, "yeah."

 

 

"Oh, Taehyung, just in time. The boys just finished setting the table," Mr Kim says as closes the door behind Taehyung, who's got a bag of pancake mix in one hand and loose change in the other. He hands both to Mingyu's dad and goes to sit down at the table.

He clears his throat, "hey," Taehyung attempts to catch the attention of the love struck couple from across the table who are way too busy staring into each other's eyes, and honestly Taehyung feels sick. "Guys!"

Mingyu visibly jumps in his chair, "oh, hey hyung." He picks up his chopsticks as Mr Kim comes to join them, setting himself down with a delighted sigh.

"It's been a while since we've had guests round for dinner." Mr Kim's friendly tone is comforting and the three boys start digging in at ease.

Wonwoo takes a bite, and words can't even describe how unbelievably delighted his tastebuds are at the sudden burst of flavours in his mouth. "This is actually really good!" He chomps down mouthful after mouthful with enthusiasim.

"Why are you saying that like you're shocked I'm good at cooking?" Mingyu gives him a look, despite grinning.

The older boy laughs, "honestly, I didn't expect much." Mingyu kicks him from underneath the table. Wonwoo swings them away, and then reaches his left hand out to hold Mingyu's, their fingers laying interlocked in plain sight on the dining table.

Mingyu gives him a look of bulging eyes and an incredulous smile. "What?" Wonwoo replies nonchalantly, "everyone in here knows anyway." Both Taehyung and Mr Kim are silent, although the former may or may not be giving the pair death glares and emitting an aura of death and destruction.

Mr Kim fakes a cough, "uh, Wonwoo you should try the clams," he suggests, trying to sound casual.

"Oh, Wonwoo hyung's allergic to seafood," Mingyu cuts in, pushing the plate away further away.

"Then you should eat some more, Mingyu. Me and Taehyung can't finish all this on our own, surely."

Mingyu pauses, "um, well I just- I thought maybe I should, like- um, I just-" He struggles to get the right words out, and his dad looks genuinely confused. "I shouldn't really- I mean, you know, I can't-"

"Mingyu's worried that he can't kiss me later if he eats those," Wonwoo explains with a straight face, causing Mingyu to squirm in his seat, surprised at just how well his boyfriend can read his mind.

Taehyung gives the couple a glare of both jealousy and disgust, while Mr Kim just emits a quiet "oh," before getting back to his own food.

 

 

"I'm gonna go walk Wonwoo hyung out!" Mingyu calls out, as Wonwoo puts his shoes on by the door. His dad only waves politely as a goodbye gesture, and Taehyung grumbles something from the kitchenette where he's stuck doing the dishes.

"Come on," the taller boy lets out an excited mumble as he leads his boyfriend out by the hand.

"Today was nice," Wonwoo mutters as they step into the elevator and Mingyu presses the button for the ground floor, which lights up a bright blue. "I had fun, despite Kim Taehyung being there," he finishes, voice turning bitter at the end.

Mingyu chuckles, "he's not _that_ bad."

"Sure," Wonwoo says as they get off and head outdoors, "maybe when he's _not_ hellbent on breaking us up or making my life jacked up on jealousy."

"Aww," Mingyu coos, stopping to face his boyfriend and rubbing his hands which have turned cold from the wintry air. "So," he clears his throat a few times, "you should know, I really like clams, but since I held back for certain reasons, I think I deserve-"

Fortunately for Mingyu, his boyfriend saves him from the embarrassment of actually having to ask for it by wrapping a hand round his neck and bringing their lips together. Wonwoo pulls on Mingyu's lower lip with his own, eyes half lidded and staring into Mingyu's wide ones alluringly.

Mingyu instinctively clenches at Wonwoo's waist with both hands, bringing him closer forcefully. With both eyes shut now, Wonwoo's hand reaches up to tug harshly at a tuft of his boyfriend's hair, lips smashing and teeth clashing together animalistically.

The force of it all sends Mingyu stumbling back a few steps as a groan escapes from deep inside his throat, pushing Wonwoo's mind into an uncontrollable chaos. 

'Wonwoo hyung,' Mingyu wants to moan out loud, but can't, because Wonwoo shoves his tongue in, wanting more, and more, and _more_. 

Finally, Wonwoo breaks away and gasps for air, as Mingyu wraps an arm around his waist, pulling his boyfriend in and letting him rest his head on his shoulder while he pants breathlessly. 

For a moment, all they can hear is leaves rustling, cars speeding past, and most of all, the sound of eachother's breathing.

"Hyung..." Mingyu trails off, too embarrassed to find the right words.

"You're being strangely shy today," Wonwoo grins against Mingyu's neck.

Mingyu's arms possessively encircle Wonwoo tighter, "and you're being weirdly brave... not that I mind, obviously."

A moment passes and Mingyu pulls Wonwoo away from him so he can meet his eyes. "I'm kinda worried that Taehyung's gonna do something because he's so pissed though..."

Wonwoo sighs, "he won't do anything... I hope." Honestly, he's not really sure who he's reassuring: Mingyu or himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reminder if you ship junhao then pls read the threeshot spin off ^^


	19. Chapter 19

Wonwoo knows something's up the moment he walks through the school corridor filled with hushed chatter and whispers. He takes quick heavy steps, not liking the stuffy feeling from deep inside him. Even though it doesn't _seem_ like they're talking about him, he can't help the discomfort crawling all over his body.

Stopping by his locker to grab some textbooks, a horrible and disgusting thought clouds his mind, they know. Wonwoo swallows, nausea coursing through his body. A hand grips at the metal door of his locker as he fumbles around for the right books. _They know, they know, they know, Wonwoo, they know._

He's still debating the possibility of this when another awful idea sneaks into his head, _Kim Taehyung must have told them. As revenge for yesterday._

Wonwoo slams his locker door shut with a furious bang, that's it. _He's done it, Kim Taehyung's gone and done it._ How could he? Something like this should be Wonwoo's choice to tell, those words should come from his lips only, and Kim Taehyung dared to take that decision away from him?

Marching down the corridor, Wonwoo ignores every tiny thought that suggests just _maybe_ he's over reacting and coming to invalid conclusions and Taehyung hasn't actually said anything at all. When he finally spots the guys hanging around Jun's locker, his footsteps quicken and his simmering anger boils over.

Minghao, Jun, Taehyung, Seungcheol, Seokmin and Chan are standing there deep in conversation, when Wonwoo opens his mouth to confront Taehyung.

"Oh my god, I'm so happy for you, hyung!" Chan grins, eyes glimmering at Taehyung. Wonwoo pauses and holds back his words on the tip of his tongue. He slips into the group between Seungcheol and Minghao, and notices that all the guys have their attention on Taehyung.

Before he can ask what's going on, his eyes catch Jun throwing him a _'what the heck'_ look, and Wonwoo immediately knows he's dreading what's to come. Maybe that means Taehyung hasn't been a major dick and broadcast his secret on loud speakers, but judging by Jun's face, Wonwoo knows he should be worried.

Seungcheol swings an arm around Wonwoo's shoulders, "hey apparently Taehyung and Mingyu are getting back together," he explains, and Wonwoo's insides sink. _Excuse me, what the fuck?_

Wonwoo's eyes turn dark as he glares at the purple haired boy, who's looking all smug and happy with himself. It's like he's taunting Wonwoo, _what can you do about it? You're not gonna tell anyone._

Darting his eyes to the left of Taehyung, there's Jun giving him another look that's strangely a mix of sympathy, amusement, and encouragement.

"So yeah, I even went round to his house last night," Taehyung blabs endlessly, "and his dad remembered who I was, it was really great," he sends Wonwoo a self-satisfied look of victory that the younger boy just wants to smack off with his bare fist.

Clenching his fists tightly, Wonwoo feels his patience running out and he's about to silence Taehyung with a punch in the face when a startled voice cuts into the conversation. "Hyung!" Mingyu scrambles through a couple of people to get to the group with Seungkwan and Jeonghan following closely behind. "What the hell is this about?" His wide eyes are staring at Taehyung, who doesn't look at all thrown off guard.

"I thought we should tell people already, Mingyu-ah," Taehyung smiles sweetly and Wonwoo honestly wants to throw up.

Mingyu's voice is alarmed and panicked, "hyung! That's not-" He pauses and his eyes find Wonwoo, immediately gulping at the blistering fury apparent from Wonwoo's scowl and his stiff body.

"We're not... together, " Mingyu mumbles weakly at Taehyung. He's unsure of what to do because he only knows he should protect Wonwoo's secret.

Taehyung takes advantage of Mingyu's uncertainty while the others (apart from Jun) all look on silently, clearly lost. "Do you think the others couldn't tell you were dating, Mingyu?" His sweet voice hides the threat that only Wonwoo and Mingyu can hear.

"Yeah," I thought Mingyu looked happier these days, it's really obvious when someone's in love isn't it?" Seokmin mentions in thought, and when everyone agrees and nods, Wonwoo feels the strongest urge to just strangle Taehyung.

Taehyung grins, "so there we are then. Me and Mingyu are-"

The purple haired boy is cut off, because Wonwoo honestly can not stand it anymore. 

"He's talking bullshit." Wonwoo breathes out, voice low but catching the attention of everyone in their group. They all turn to him with expectant eyes, wanting an explanation of some sort. "Mingyu's not dating Taehyung."

The banging inside Wonwoo's chest is loud and disruptive, _this is it. You're going to say it. Just don't choke, Jeon Wonwoo._ He licks his dry lips and his eyes instinctively land on Mingyu. The taller boy's eyes are wide and waiting, lips shut tight rather than parted, as if he's too scared to expect anything from Wonwoo. But that's all Wonwoo needs to go on.

"Mingyu's dating me." Wonwoo's voice is unexpectedly loud and clear and he watches as one by one, his friends all seem to digest the information. Mingyu's mouth falls open, and Wonwoo would be lying if he said he wasn't proud of surprising his boyfriend. It feels like a weight's been heaved away from his chest, and Wonwoo's scared, honestly, but he fights away the fear swimming inside him. He also spots Jun offering him the smallest smile, and this reminder of the support that he'll always have causes a wave of relief to wash through his body.

"Wait, what?" Seungcheol is the first to react, followed by many other confused looks. All eyes are on Wonwoo now, including Taehyung who looks ready to kill. "But you're..." Seungcheol continues, his large eyes drilling curious holes into Wonwoo's flushed face. "You don't even like guys though," he says and the others all nod. Jun nods too, sarcastically, and Wonwoo finds himself hiding a laugh at the way he's mocking the others for being so oblivious.

"I like Mingyu," Wonwoo tells them honestly, and the pride in his voice although not deliberate, is obvious. Seeing all the lost faces, Wonwoo rolls his eyes and grabs Mingyu by the hand and pulls him over. The younger boy is already grinning like an absolute idiot, and Wonwoo can't help but feel so proud of himself for making Mingyu happy. 

Wonwoo pulls Mingyu's face to his until their foreheads are touching and there are gasps from all around them. 

"Hyung," Mingyu whispers softly, and the word catches in his mouth when Wonwoo closes the space between them. A hand is holding Mingyu's left cheek and the other is wrapped around his back. 

Wonwoo's lips start off slow and gentle as if he's being careful since there are eyes watching them everywhere. But when Mingyu lets out the softest moan, Wonwoo's whole body reacts and his lips press harder, his teeth start biting, and his tongue slips in.

Everyone watching seems to have recovered from the initial shock, because finally there's audible gasping and there's what sounds like Seungkwan's voice screaming, "WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?" over and over while Seungcheol is just making screaming noises in general. Jeonghan has both hands over his mouth, while Seokmin has his hands over Chan's eyes, who only squats them away. Jun is looking on smugly as if to proudly announce, 'I knew about this the whole time,' and Taehyung's face is on fire from both embarrassment and rage.

Shyly, Mingyu pushes at Wonwoo who's extremely reluctant to detach himself, but complies anyway. Mingyu's pressing his lips together in a smile, and a deep rouge blush adorns his cheekbones. The two boys realise now that the whole corridor is filled with people frozen in their spots, shocked wide eyes clearly following them.

Wonwoo grabs Mingyu's hand and turns to face the crowd, "HEY LISTEN UP. KIM MINGYU'S _MY_ BOYFRIEND." His deep voice resounds through the corridor and he laces their fingers together to prove his point, and Mingyu's canines make another appearance as he physically can not stop himself from grinning so hard. Wonwoo takes another deep breath and the quickest glance at Mingyu as he prepares himself for his next words, "I'M IN LOVE WITH KIM MINGYU." The words feel like light on his lips, light that gives him all the hope and happiness he needs from the world. And with Mingyu beaming next to him, it now feels like he's being blinded by the freaking sun. But in a good way. A _really_ good way.

Mingyu realises Wonwoo's finally said the words he's been waiting for, no not just said them, but announced it to a good hundred people proudly, loudly, bravely. He swears he just died a little on the inside.

The next thing Mingyu knows, Wonwoo's tugging him away and all he sees is a blur of his friends' confused and stunned faces.

 

 

"Sorry," is the first word that escapes Wonwoo's lips when they're finally alone at a school pathway behind the science block. Mingyu blinks at the shorter boy, _why is he apologising?_ "I-I should've, we should've talked about it before I burst out like that, right?"

Mingyu frantically shakes his head, "no, hyung! It's okay, I'm happy... really happy," he emphasises. They're standing on a stone path with a chilling breeze passing over their bodies and Mingyu shivers.

"Aww," Wonwoo chuckles softly, "I would hug you but I need to be looking at you for this next part."

Mingyu is visibly confused, and Wonwoo is about to open his mouth to speak when a voice from behind them interrupts. 

"So it's true then?" Both boys turn their heads to see Hyerim, her long jet black hair blowing and whipping in the wind. Her lips are pressed together and the look on her face is unamused.

Wonwoo is the first to speak up, "yeah." He mumbles simply before adding, "I'm sorry." He can't help but feel bad for hiding the truth from her this whole time. 

There's a long pause and the three of them are stuck listening to the flapping of the wind. Wonwoo's hand is still obviously wrapped around Mingyu's and her eyes linger there for just longer than a moment.

"I thought we were honest with each other," she throws Wonwoo a pained look, clearly hurt. "But I can't say I'm all that surprised." Wonwoo's eyes widen slightly but he doesn't bother to question her final statement. 

She takes a soft breath before speaking with a more relaxed tone, "have you guys seen Seungcheol oppa?"

Mingyu speaks up for the first time, "not since earlier in the corridor," he tells her.

Hyerim thanks them and nods before turning away and taking small, hurried steps down the path and away from them.

"A-Anyway!" Wonwoo's voice hurries out, as soon as Hyerim has left. "What I wanted to say was, well, I wanted you to be the first to hear these words, but I said it to all those other guys instead." Mingyu still doesn't understand. 

"I love you," Wonwoo breathes out with sincerity. He can't hold it in anymore. "I should've told you that first. But I guess I was scared. I was worried I didn't mean it, that I didn't really love you, but I do. I love you so much." His words are hurried but honest.

There's a small pause, where Mingyu's just staring with glimmering eyes in disbelief like he's not sure if what he thinks just happened, actually happened.

Recovering from the initial shock, Mingyu rubs circles with his thumb over the top of Wonwoo's hand and looks the older boy in the eyes 

"Thank you," Mingyu's voice is barely above a whisper and he rushes forward to lace both arms around Wonwoo's waist and embrace the older boy. There's a warmth blooming from inside his body. He can barely believe it. "Hyung, thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just one more piece of drama coming gonna wrap this up in like 2-3 chapters probably :)


	20. Chapter 20

Wonwoo's lying flat on his back, his hands holding up a paperback as he rolls along his soft mattress to the side. It's a few days since the whole dramatic _'confession'_ , should we say, and Wonwoo still can't stop thinking about it. The beaming look on Mingyu's face, the expressions of disbelief on his friends' faces and of course, the high pitched screeching. It was funny, really. But most of all, it was just the greatest thing Wonwoo had ever done. No big deal though. Not at all.

His body twists round again when the text notification from his phone goes off. He grabs at it, fingers warm against the metal device, hoping it might just be his boyfriend. It's not; i t's the group chat.

** Seungkwan: so it's definitely not a joke right  
sent: 9:14 pm **

Wonwoo lets out a tiny snort at the fact that his friends are still coming to terms with the whole situation and rolls onto his back again, his lips quirking up into an excited smile.

**Wonwoo:  I t's real ok**  
**sent: 9:15 pm**

** Seungcheol: yo dont kill me but i thought wonwoo was with jun  
sent: 9:17 pm **

**Mingyu: e xcuse me??!???!?????????????!**  
**sent: 9:17 pm**

 **Jun: if minghao wasn't in this universe then maybe** _へ__(‾◡◝ )>  
**sent: 9:18 pm**

** Jun: wait no if minghao wasn't in this universe i'd fly to another universe for him  ** ( ˵ ◕ д ◕ ˵ )━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ  
**sent: 9:18 pm**

Wonwoo chuckles out loud. Jun and Minghao had literally just told everyone about their relationship too, well not everyone- just the guys. To be exact, it was just a lot of blushing (mostly from Minghao), exaggerated coughing, and gesturing towards their interlaced fingers.

**Mingyu: WONWOO HYUNG IS MINE OK  
sent: 9:18 pm**

**Wonwoo: ...mingyu  
sent: 9:19 pm**

**Seokmin: [wonwoo voice] >///////////////< kyaaa miNGYU~~~~~  
sent: 9:19 pm**

Wonwoo begins to type back a reply (something along the lines of 'i'll punch-') when the sound of his front door unlodging grabs his attention and he instinctively flings his phone away, head turning to his bedroom door and listening for the familiar footsteps of his mum. "Mum?" He calls out, "is that you?" Wonwoo knows it sounds stupid, because who else could it be? But honestly if it was a serial killer he'd be screwed-

"I'm home," comes her tender voice, obviously exhausted and almost concerned.

Wonwoo jumps off his bed and leaps down the stairs two steps at a time. "Mum," he breathes out a smile and holds his hand out for her bags of groceries. "What's for dinner?" He peeks into the plastic bags and digs his hand in as he carries them to the kitchen.

The overwhelming sound of the packaging rustling throws Wonwoo into the realisation that his mum hasn't said anything. He stops manhandling the bottles of soy sauce and turns to her, "mum? What's wrong?"

"Wonwoo," she begins, voice almost strict as she places a hand against the kitchen counter and looks him in the eye. "I heard something from the other parents earlier at the supermarket. This might sound strange but..."

Her voice fades out as Wonwoo's lower lip folds into his upper lip.  _She knows._  His fingers claw at the marble countertop, and his stomach stirs. "Mum-" Wonwoo begins, voice unsure and weak. She stares at him, waiting for an answer, but he's not even all too sure of what she just told him.

"Is it true?" She reiterates, thin lips pressing together with impatience. "Answer me honestly," her voice is about to break.

"Is- Is what true?" Wonwoo whispers back, not wanting this situation to be real. He hadn't wanted for it to be like this. He was supposed to have found a good day, where they were both in a good mood, and he'd say the right words, and her reaction would be good, right,  _accepting_ , and all would be right in the world.

Licking her dry lips, she pulls her hairband out from her ponytail and adjusts it on her wrist, eyes dropping from Wonwoo's, "is it true what the other parents said? That you have a boyfriend at school?"

Wonwoo's right foot takes a slight step back, and his face turns warm when he realises all he wants is to just  _run away_. "I- That's- That's absurd, where did you hear that?" And he  _hates_  himself, because what is he doing? He's  _lying_ , and that's not how it's supposed to happen. Still, somehow he'd rather stomach the twisting and clenching of his chest than let those words come out of his mouth.

With the tiniest hesitation, Mrs Jeon continues, "is it Mingyu?"

"Yes." Wonwoo blanches, sucks in a breath of air. Did he just say that? He can't lie when it comes to Mingyu, even if it crushes his heart. The redness rimming his mother's eyes strikes him like a punch to the face. He doesn't want anything to change, he doesn't want her to hate him, but most of all, he doesn't want her to be in pain. "Mum, I'm sorry," he begins, voice wobbling and eyes prickling.

The muscles in his arms ache to reach forward, to embrace his mother and make everything okay. But he's too afraid, too consumed by the fear of rejection. So his arms hang loose by his sides, like his head, which is now tilted to the ground.

It's silent; the absence of sound is thick and suffocating, like a plug in Wonwoo's oxygen supply. "Please say- please say something," he cries out, voice broken and head still drooping low in fear and shame.

A warmth caresses Wonwoo's elbow and when he glances up, tear drops spilling at the same time, he sees a soft smile. Blinking away the hot tears, Wonwoo looks again and his lips part gently, his crazed mind searching for the right words to comfort his mother, who's tearful but now holding him in her arms.

"Wonwoo," her blurry voice begins, "it's okay," the affection overflows from her words and holds him. "I just- I just wished you would have told me first. To hear it from other people first, it was surprising you know?"

Whimpering, Wonwoo's arms crawl around her back and tighten, latching on. "I'm sorry," he buries his wet face into his mother's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he whispers again and again, voice muffled but persistent.

"No," she breaks away from the embrace so she can face her son, who's pawing his tears away endlessly, head still hung low because it's  _embarrassing._  "Don't apologise, why are you apologising?"

"Because- Because," he hiccups, his voice now chaotic, "it must be so embarrassing for you, everyone's probably making fun of you, and of me! I'm sorry I'm like this-" Wonwoo pauses just slightly, feeling unsure because he's suddenly angry at himself. A flame scorches inside of him as he realises he's still an idiot who doesn't accept himself.

Taking both of Wonwoo's hands into her own, Mrs Jeon speaks up again, this time much calmer and softer, "Wonwoo stop. You're wrong, there's nothing wrong with being this way, feeling this way. If anyone ever tries to make you feel bad for who you are,  _they're_ the ones who should be embarrassed."

At that, Wonwoo lets out a full on wail, arms reaching out for his mother again, fingers trembling. He clings to his mother's sweater, gripping at the soft fuzz until he's reduced to nothing but quiet bawling. And eventually, he fixes his composure, nothing but a flushed face and sniffly nose to betray his earlier emotions.

 

 

**Mingyu: what are you doing not sleeping? i'm outside your house could you come out for a sec?  
sent: 00:58am**

Wonwoo springs up from his bed, eyebrows furrowing in slight confusion,  _wait what?_

**Wonwoo: What do you mean outside my house mingyu what are you doing?  
sent: 00:59am**

**Mingyu: just come out the front door i have a surprise for you <3 huhu  
sent: 0:59am**

Glancing up and then back at his phone again, Wonwoo bites his lip and leaps off the bed. Bare feet padding softly across the room, he gently eases open the closed door and tip toes down the stairs, since his mother's already gone to sleep.

Wonwoo inserts the metal key, twists, and unlodges the door. The midnight chill hits him immediately, and he regrets not having the thought to grab a jacket first. "Mingyu?" He whispers, voice barely audible above the soft rustling of leaves.

"Hyung!" And there he is, standing tall and proud, yet visibly vibrating with excitement. "I missed you!" With both arms, Mingyu embraces the older boy, soft umber hair digging into Wonwoo's neck and tickling his collarbones.

Biting a smile away, Wonwoo clears his throat, his hands finding their place on Mingyu's waist as he pulls away slightly. "What's the surprise you mentioned?"

"Oh, me! I'm the surprise," Mingyu laughs shyly, "I just wanted to see you, so..." He trails off, and then snaps up again, "Hyung, why are you only wearing a t-shirt? Aren't you cold?" Mingyu pulls Wonwoo back towards him, embracing (or engulfing) him fully. Literally, his arms are all over Wonwoo's back and his hair's basically Wonwoo's muffler. Wonwoo manages to stumble backwards and against his door from the force of Mingyu's hug.

"Mingyu, stop using that as an excuse to attack me in front of my own house," Wonwoo mumbles as blankly as possible, trying to hide the burning in his cheeks.

A tiny wail escapes Mingyu's lips, "but I missed you," he drags the last syllable on but backs off slightly anyway. Smiling, Wonwoo takes Mingyu's left hand into his own and interlaces their fingers. Mingyu's puppy eyes request an explanation.

"My hand is cold," Wonwoo states simply in monotone, glancing away and concealing his smile.

"Really?" Mingyu squeezes his hand, "well my lips are cold so..." At this, Wonwoo looks up, quirks an eyebrow. "I wonder what we should do about that," he pouts slightly, looking down at his feet bashfully before returning his gaze to Wonwoo's eyes.

"Well I don't know, so good luck figuring that one out yourself," he teases.

Mingyu wails in distress, "Won-" He doesn't finish; Wonwoo's free hand wraps around the back of his neck and pushes him towards himself, lips meeting gently at first. And then, with a little more force, Wonwoo's lips press a little harder, kiss a little deeper.

Mingyu's free hand reaches up to tug at Wonwoo's hair, not harshly, but gentle. They kiss like the world's stopped spinning, and like time doesn't exist. Like Jeon Wonwoo's not standing there barefoot with ridiculous bed hair. Like Kim Mingyu didn't just walk fifteen minutes to his house at one AM in the morning. Like they're completely and utterly in love with each other. And they are.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well  
> this is it


	21. epilogue

**Seokmin: [wonwoo voice] >///////////////< kyaaa miNGYU~~~~~  
sent: 9:19 pm**

** Seungkwan: [mingyu voice] hyung~~~~ i wuv you  ♥  
sent: 9:20 pm **

**Junhui: did you guys know they made out at seungkwan's sleepover when you were all sleeping lol \\(@o@)/**  
**sent: 9:22pm**

 **Hansol: wtf**  
**sent: 9:24pm**

 **Jihoon: ...**  
**sent: 9:25pm**

* * *

**Mingyu: o//////////o**  
**sent: 1:56am**

 **Wonwoo: YAH WEN JUNHUI**  
**sent: 1:58am**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU I LOVE YOU ALL i dont like this fic BUT YOU GUYS ARE GREAT THANK YOU

**Author's Note:**

> Vietnamese translation available [here](https://www.wattpad.com/story/78653956-transfic-meanie-are-you-sure)


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